Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Bayern Munich's James Rodriguez feature in our Senegal v Colombia key players

Matt Jones - Editor 19:11 27/06/2018
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  • It’s all to play for in Group H at the World Cup, with Senegal, Colombia and Japan all in with a shout of making the round of 16.

    Los Cafeteros tangle with the Lions of Teranga in Samara, where the third-placed South Americans know only victory will guarantee them a place in the latter stages.

    A draw will be enough for the African side, but playing for one will be dangerous against an attack that tore Poland to pieces last time out.

    Here, we look at three key players for each side:

    KALIDOU KOULIBALY V YERRY MINA

    27 06 key battles Senegal v Colombia-A

    Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the more elite names in this talented Senegal squad, but the Napoli juggernaut has allowed himself to be a bit of a passenger at this World Cup so far.

    Relatively unheralded centre-back partner Salif Sane has really emerged in Russia, having caught the attention of German giants Schalke before the tournament, signing him from fellow Bundesliga side Hannover.

    Sane won 11 aerial duels in the 2-2 draw with Japan compared to Koulibaly’s three while the Schalke man made a combined 10 clearances (6), interceptions (3) and blocked shots (1) against Poland, again outshining his illustrious colleague.

    For such a solid pairing, however, Senegal looked shaky as they twice allowed Japan to equalise in Yekaterinburg. Such similar shortcomings will surely be capitalised upon by Colombia.

    The South Americans have vast experience in their squad, but Jose Pekerman has opted for a dynamic young approach in defence where youngsters Yerry Mina and Davinson Sanchez form the backbone in the centre.

    The Barcelona and Tottenham defenders have a combined age of just 45 but showed resilience beyond their years as Poland were pulverised 3-0 – Mina nodding in the all-important first goal and posting a team-leading three tackles.

    He and Sanchez are proving that Pekerman’s gamble – with experienced AC Milan man Cristian Zapata and Oscar Murillo (both 30 or over) on the bench – has not been a foolish one.

    SADIO MANE V JAMES RODRIGUEZ

    27 06 key battles Senegal v Colombia-B

    Neither Colombia nor James Rodriguez quite hit the ground running in Russia compared to four years ago – Rodriguez grabbed a goal as Los Cafeteros thrashed Greece 3-0 in their opener on the way to three wins and topping Group C in Brazil.

    But after starting on the bench as 10-man Colombia lost 2-1 to Japan, the Bayern Munich schemer terrorised Poland from the start, registering two assists and three key passes in a performance worthy of the baby faced assassin who took Brazil by storm in 2014.

    Rodriguez’s presence will once again give Colombia hope as they search for a vital win, especially with his record of being involved in 10 goals in his seven World Cup appearances.

    It’s about time for Sadio Mane to take a game by the scruff of the neck at this World Cup. He’s played well without really catching fire like we know he’s capable of, with M’Baye Niang, Moussa Wague and Idrissa Gueye hogging the limelight thus far.

    Sure, he got on the scoresheet against Japan, but didn’t know too much about it.

    His team are unbeaten so far and deserve to go through to the knockout stages, but face a tricky test against Colombia. The Lions of Teranga need their star man to finally roar into life.

    M’BAYE NIANG V RADAMEL FALCAO

    27 06 key battles Senegal v Colombia-c

    Pekerman might have hoped to rest veteran forward Radamel Falcao in the final group game, but no such luxury has been afforded the Colombia coach as Los Cafeteros know only victory will guarantee a last 16 spot.

    The Monaco man may be ageing but he was a menace in Colombia’s 3-0 pasting of Poland, winning six aerial duels and embarking on five dribbles, which led to him being fouled twice. He also scored a stylish second which helped Pekerman’s charges take control of proceedings and dump the European side out of the tournament.

    At the tip of the spear for the men in green is the raw but ravishing M’Baye Niang, who netted a maiden goal for his country in the opening 2-1 win against the Poles.

    He may not have added to his tally in the thrilling 2-2 draw with Japan but was equally instrumental, winning three battles in the air and playing three key passes – one of which was an assist to tee up teenage right-back Moussa Wague for the second goal.

    His 84.2 pass success rate was also the third highest among Senegal’s starters. The 23-year-old cub has quickly become a totem for the Lions of Teranga.

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