How they got here:
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COLOMBIA were one of the standout performers at the World Cup four years ago in Brazil and this time around in Russia, they will be looking to go even one step further with a strong squad that consists of a host of international stars. The 2018 edition will be their sixth showing at the prestigious quadrennial event and they will have to be at the top of their game if they are to replicate or even better their quarterfinal run from 2014.
The team boasts of multiple world-class players who play for some of the top clubs across Europe.
With added depth from last time around, the team is likely to focus on the same set of heroes from Brazil, with mercurial striker Radamel Falcao, who had missed the previous World Cup due to injury, also back in contention for a starting place.
Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers) qualified for the 2018 World Cup after a dramatic last day of qualification in the South American qualifiers.
They finished in fourth place after 18 games, where they picked up 27 points after seven wins and five losses.
Their Argentinian-born manager Jose Pekerman, 68, has a good choice of players to pick from – James Rodriguez, the top scorer in Brazil 2014, Juan Cuadrado and Falcao.
However, they will need a bit more if they want their dreams to come true.
Rodriguez is the great hero of Colombian fans but over the last two seasons, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, he has failed to play at the level he showed in Brazil.
But he looks like a different footballer when he is wearing the national team jersey.
“Expectations are very high because we all want to know how we will start the tournament.
“This was a different sort of draw, in the sense that perhaps there was some fear of big names, but I like to say that sometimes the difficult thing is to achieve balance,” Pekerman said.
With a group comprising Poland, Senegal and Japan, Colombia should advance to the round of 16 and also top the group. They should beat Japan and Senegal but will have a much testing game against Poland.
Pekerman knows what he wants, and he is sticking to his old mantra: “Colombia will need to work hard and take things game by game, which is the right way to go about it.”
Russia will end Pekerman’s run as Colombia’s manager. He has led them for six years and fulfilled his objectives: turning Colombia into a well-respected and at times feared rival.
Pekerman is a great leader and he is living proof that a manager does not need to shout or be witty to earn the respect of both players and fans. He wants to leave the job on a high note, and with this team, he probably could do just that. POLAND are back at the World Cup finals for the first time since 2006 after comfortably topping their qualifying group.
did not play in South Africa 2010 or Brazil 2014 but they are now back at the World Cup after an impressive qualifying round in which they only lost one game. As a seeded team, they should be competing with Colombia for the top spot in their group, ahead of Senegal and Japan, but things may prove different in practice. The last time they progressed beyond the group stages was 1986. Poland will once again be led by Robert Lewandowski. Far from losing steam, the Bayern Munich striker is still a world-class player and an astounding goalscorer. He was the top scorer in the European qualifying round with 16 goals. But Lewandowski will not be alone. The side managed by Adam Nawalka also has a great keeper in Wojciech Szczesny, plus Lukasz Piszczek on the right, Grzegorz Krychowiak in the middle and Arkadiusz Milik alongside Lewandowski up-front. Poland work hard for their star, but they also have good supporting players. Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski says Poland are increasing becoming a solid team. “We know each other very well and we have been playing together for very long. Even if we lack important players, our team’s level will remain very high,” Zielinski warned. Having a forward like Lewandowski is a great privilege in a tournament where knockout rounds are the key. However, being heavily dependent on one player can also be a problem. Poland’s star only scored one goal at Euro 2016 and his team, who struggled with their leader’s poor performances, were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Nawalka hopes things can be different this time around, with more players pitching in so they are not reliant on their top marksman. They would hope to reach at least the round of 16, before pinning their hopes on Lewandowski to keep advancing. If Lewandowski is at the level he showed in the qualifying round, Poland will be very tough to beat.