World Cup 2018 Table: Updated Look and Predictions for Tuesday's Matches
June 19, 2018
Tuesday's schedule at the 2018 FIFA World Cup will give us the chance to see the quartet of teams in Group H for the first time, while host nation Russia will hope to take a big step towards the knockout stages.
Russia take on Egypt in the final match of the day after their stunning opening to the tournament, beating Saudi Arabia 5-0.
Earlier in the day, an entertaining Colombia outfit will face Japan in the first fixture, and that will be followed by Poland's meeting with Senegal.
After a bright start to the competition, it's not worth missing a minute of the action. Here are the games to come and a closer look at how this trio of fixtures is likely to go.
Time (Group) Fixture, Prediction
1 p.m. (H) Colombia vs. Japan, 2-0
4 p.m. (H) Senegal vs. Poland, 1-1
7 p.m. (A) Russia vs. Egypt, 1-1
Here's a look at how Group A is shaping up:
Russia Seeking to Build More Momentum
Although the quality of the opposition up against the host nation in Thursday's curtain-raiser wasn't of the highest standard, a 5-0 win for Russia ignited the World Cup from the off.
Now they have a chance to effectively book their place in the last 16 with a win against Egypt. And confidence should be pulsing through the Russia team after running in the goals against Saudi Arabia.
Denis Cheryshev's display on Thursday was especially eye-catching, as he slotted an excellent brace after coming on as a substitute.
As noted by Joel Rabinowitz, it's been a World Cup of wonderful goals so far:
Egypt will be hopeful Mohamed Salah can add his name to that list after he sat out their opening loss against Uruguay.
The Pharaohs were dull in attack without the Liverpool star, who has been fighting to be fit for the group stage after picking up a shoulder injury in the UEFA Champions League final on May 26. The man himself appears to be looking forward to taking part on Tuesday, though:
It's an intriguing game that will cap off another attractive day of football, and it should begin in style with Colombia going up against Japan.
Four years ago, Jose Pekerman's side were one of the most aesthetic teams at the tournament in Brazil, inspired by the wing wizardry of Juan Cuadrado and the all-round brilliance of James Rodriguez.
As noted by Tom Marshall of ESPN, the Colombia supporters still have vivid memories of the latter's excellence from 2014:
It's also set to be a big day for striker Radamel Falcao, who missed the Brazil showpiece due to injury. After rediscovering his goalscoring edge at AS Monaco in recent seasons, he will be hopeful of netting the goals that can inspire Colombia to something special.
As for their opponents, Japan have endured a turbulent buildup to the World Cup. Manager Akira Nishino was only appointed in April after the departure of Vahid Halilhodzic and has yet to take charge of a competitive game.
In Poland's match with Senegal, there will be some serious firepower on display, none more so than Robert Lewandowski, who has been banging them in for his country lately, as these numbers illustrate:
He is set to be supported by Napoli duo Arkadiusz Milik and Piotr Zielinski, while on the opposite side another Partenopei star, Kalidou Koulibaly will be attempting to snuff out their influence.
Senegal, meanwhile, have attacking talent of their own, with Liverpool's Sadio Mane set to lead the charge. He enjoyed a fine finish to the season with the Reds and showed an appetite for the big occasion by netting in the Champions League quarter-finals, both legs of the semi-final and the final itself.