Brazil and Colombia are set to face each other in one of the World Cup 2014 quarter final matches, but how do the two teams stack up at present?
In the last five encounters between the two national sides, Brazil had slightly edged out Colombia on one occasion, and drew the rest, according to SoccerPunter.com:
14/11/2012 friendlies: Brazil 1 - 1 Colombia
15/10/2008 World Cup Qualification South Africa: Brazil 0 - 0 Colombia
14/10/2007 WC Qualification South Africa: Colombia 0 - 0 Brazil
12/10/2004 WC Qualification Germany: Brazil 0 - 0 Colombia
06/09/2003 WC Qualification Germany: Colombia 1 - 2 Brazil
Brazil are 5/6 to win the match according to most bookmakers, while Colombia are 7/2.
Here are how the players rate so far:
Brazil
Julio Cesar: Excellent for Brazil so far, and has over come match rustiness after losing his Queens’ Park Rangers place to Robert Green. Was great in the penalty shootout against Chile. 7/10
Marcelo: His willingness to bomb forward and combine with Neymar on the left flank makes him an offensive threat, but is still slightly shaky defensively. 6/10
David Luiz: A hit-and-miss World Cup so far. Scored the vital goal against Chile, but was tormented by Alexis Sanchez later. Will have to do better defensively. 5/10
Thiago Silva: The Brazil captain has been solid in the World Cup so far without being outstanding. 6/10
Dani Alves: Had a couple of decent crosses and shots from long range, but age is clearly catching up on the impressive attacking full back. 6/10
Fernandinho: The Man City holding midfielder displaced Paulinho, but seems more of a like-for-like replacement than an upgrade. Could be coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s tactics, though. 5/10
Oscar: Failed to impress. Fading energy levels could be a reason, as Oscar started visibly losing form in the second half of Chelsea’s season. 3/10
Luiz Gustavo: Another holding midfielder putting in mediocre performances. Will need to step up and distribute the ball more effectively. 4/10
Hulk: Failed to impress in the opening match, then picked up an injury. Performed impressively against Chile, and had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside. 7/10
Fred: Poor so far, and virtually a passenger in all of Brazil’s games. Doesn’t look like his form and fortunes are turning any time soon. 1/10
Neymar: The main man for Brazil, and deserves the hype. Got a little quiet against Chile, but showed up when his country need him most by coolly slotting home the winning penalty. 8.5/10
Colombia
David Ospina: Solid, great positioning and reflexes. 7/10
Cristian Zapata: Great in the air, and positions himself well, particularly against Uruguay. 6.5/10
Mario Yepes: Has formed a formidable center back partnership with Zapata so far. 6.5/10
Pablo Armero: Excellent defensively, and okay when going forward. Nice dance moves, don’t hurt, either. 6/10
Juan Zuniga: Supported Colombia’s attack well so far, but has yet to find goals. 6/10
Carlos Sanchez: Has put in dependable performances as a defensive midfielder, and is responsible for Colombian being able to keep 2 clean sheets and only let in 2 goals so far. 6.5/10
Abel Aguilar: Another solid central midfielder, and is the man responsible for setting up James Rodriguez for one of the goals of the tournament so far. 6.5/10
Juan Cuadrado: Very impressive. Beat opponents time and time again with his dribbling skills and pace, and has won a good number of free kicks to boot. 7.5/10
James Rodriguez: The stand out player of the tournament so far. Accurate passing, great vision and awareness, and a good eye for goal has caused problems for opposing defenses so far. One wonders how deadly Colombia would be if Radamel Falcao was fit enough to combine with Rodriguez... 10/10
Teofilo Gutierrez: Okay as an attacker, but can do better. 5/10
Jackson Martinez: Radamel Falcao-type player that is starting to find the net. 6/10
