Robert Lewandowski vs Radamel Falcao headline the key player battles in Poland's World Cup clash against Colombia

Aditya Devavrat 07:44 24/06/2018
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  • Lewandowski and Falcao will take centre stage on Sunday.

    Poland and Colombia both go into Sunday’s face-off needing a win to kick-start their respective World Cup campaigns.

    The two Group H favourites both lost their opening games, making their meeting a near must-win clash for both sides, and the players will want to step up and take on that responsibility.

    Here are the key player battles which will determine the game.

    Robert Lewandowski vs Radamel Falcao

    Lewandowski had a poor performance against Senegal in Poland’s loss. He had fewer touches of the ball than the Senegal goalkeeper, and rarely got into position to be a real threat for his side. Poland’s playmakers were nullified, which had an impact on Lewandowski’s display, but he needs to step it up to save his country’s World Cup hopes.

    In contrast, Falcao’s only failure in Colombia’s loss to Japan was that he fell just short of being brilliant. He led the line admirably considering his side were down to 10 men only three minutes into the game. It was his work that earned the free-kick from which Colombia scored their goal, typical of his display in that game.

    Jakub Blaszczykowski vs James Rodriguez

    Blaszczykowski was another whose performance was sub-par in the loss to Senegal. Tasked with being one of the creative forces for his side, he offered neither incisive passing nor threatening running down the flanks. His waning pace is a factor in the latter case, but he can provide better inter-play with his team-mates and better service for Lewandowski.

    James was unable to start for Colombia against Japan as he was carrying a calf injury, and although he looked lively after coming on as a second-half substitute, he had little real impact. But he’s likely to start on Sunday, and he knows the responsibility of leading his team to victory, and saving their World Cup hopes, lies with him.

    Lukasz Piszczek vs Santiago Arias

    The Borussia Dortmund right-back put in an awful display against Senegal, looking overrun by the opposition attack and not providing enough thrust going forward. His defensive shakiness is something Colombia will target, James especially as he likes drifting out to the wings. If Piszczek can’t hit the levels he finds often for his club, Poland will be in trouble.

    Santiago Arias delivered a fighting performance as part of a back-line put under extra pressure by the early red card to midfielder Carlos Sanchez against Japan. His attacking impact was limited, but he defended well for the most part, although it was he who was beaten for Japan’s winner. He’ll want to atone for that error on Sunday.

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