Switzerland vs Colombia Predictions
Switzerland and Colombia meet at BC Place in Vancouver on Tuesday, with a World Cup quarter-final place up for grabs.
Both sides have impressed defensively and remain unbeaten at this tournament, so a tight battle seems likely.
I have my money on Colombia to eventually qualify after a deadlocked 90 minutes.
Both Teams Remain Tough to Beat
- Switzerland are unbeaten in 17 of their last 18 matches
- Switzerland drew 5 of their last 11 matches
- Colombia are unbeaten in 15 of their last 17 matches
Colombia Edge H2H Record
Switzerland and Colombia have met once before at the World Cup. Colombia claimed a 2-0 group-stage victory in 1994.
The South Americans also bagged a 3-1 friendly win in 2007.
Switzerland Finally Break Knockout Curse
Switzerland arrive in Vancouver after a well-deserved 2-0 win against Algeria secured their place in the round of sixteen. Breel Embolo gave Murat Yakin's side an early advantage, before Dan Ndoye added a second goal after half-time.
On a historic night for the Europeans, Switzerland secured their first World Cup knockout win since 1938.
Yakin's men had the better of the contest, with final xG totals of 2.45 and 0.75 reflecting Switzerland's dominance at BC Place.
Since opening their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Qatar, Yakin’s men have claimed three successive wins against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada and Algeria.
Unbeaten in their last seven matches, Switzerland lost just one of 18 games played since the end of 2024.
Colombia Continue to Impress
Colombia booked their place in the round of 16 with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Ghana last weekend. Jhon Arias scored the only goal as the South Americans emerged with a deserved win in Kansas City.
Nestor Lorenzo's side controlled much of the contest, with Ghana failing to register a single shot on target. In contrast, Colombia had seven efforts on target, with 20 shots on goal generating an xG of just over two.
Ghana's final xG of 0.27 reflected the Africans' lack of quality in the final third.
Los Cafeteros have now kept three successive clean sheets, while remaining unbeaten in four games at this World Cup. Lorenzo's men have conceded just once in their last five internationals.
The confident Colombians topped Group K with seven points after wins against Uzbekistan and DR Congo, before a goalless draw with Portugal.
Switzerland vs Colombia Squads and Team News
Switzerland Squad
Goalkeepers: Gregor Kobel, Yvon Mvogo, Marvin Keller
Defenders: Miro Muheim, Silvan Widmer, Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Eray Comert, Aurele Amenda, Luca Jaquez
Midfielders: Denis Zakaria, Remo Freuler, Johan Manzambi, Granit Xhaka, Ardon Jashari, Djibril Sow, Christian Fassnacht, Michel Aebischer, Fabian Rieder
Forwards: Breel Embolo, Dan Ndoye, Ruben Vargas, Noah Okafor, Zeki Amdouni, Cedric Itten
Switzerland head coach Yakin has some serious selection worries ahead of Tuesday's World Cup contest.
Johan Manzambi, Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sow all left training early on Monday, with Yakin admitting their absence would be a major blow.
“Obviously, if they have to quit the training session earlier, everybody is very annoyed because this is going to be a very big loss,” Yakin said.
“If they might not play tomorrow, it could be a huge issue for us.”
Freiburg forward Manzambi has emerged as one of Switzerland's standout performers at the World Cup. The 20-year-old has scored three goals while providing two assists, and his absence would be a bitter blow for Yayin's side.
Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye both scored in the win against Algeria, and will keep their places in the first XI.
Colombia Squad
Goalkeepers: David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, Alvaro Montero
Defenders: Daniel Munoz, Jhon Lucumi, Santiago Arias, Yerry Mina, Johan Mojica, Willer Ditta, Deiver Machado, Davinson Sanchez
Midfielders: Kevin Castano, Richard Rios, Jorge Carrascal, James Rodriguez, Jhon Arias, Gustavo Puerta, Juan Portilla, Jefferson Lerma, Juan Fernando Quintero, Jaminton Campaz
Forwards: Luis Diaz, Jhon Cordoba, Cucho Hernandez, Luis Suarez, Andres Gomez
Nestor Lorenzo has no major fresh injury concerns reported ahead of Tuesday's knockout clash.
Jhon Arias should keep his place after scoring the winner against Ghana, while Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez are expected to start.
Luis Suarez is likely to return to the first XI after replacing Jhon Cordoba in the first half of the win against Ghana.
Lorenzo praised Colombia's defensive discipline after the win against Ghana.
“After creating several chances and not converting, I liked how we defended,” Lorenzo told reporters.
“I value the fact that we did not suffer much, apart from the opponent's clear chances,” Lorenzo added.