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World Cup Bracket 2018: Round-of-16 Odds and Picks Entering Tuesday Play
July 3, 2018
The line-up for the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be completed on Tuesday when Sweden take on Switzerland, and Colombia face England in the final round-of-16 games.
Here's a look at the latest odds and picks ahead of Tuesday's matches.
Sweden (19-10), Draw (2-1), Switzerland (8-5): 1-0
Colombia (14-5), Draw (23-10), England (1/1): 1-2
All odds courtesy of OddsShark.
Sweden vs. Switzerland
Sweden wrapped up their group-stage campaign with an impressive 3-0 win over Mexico which saw them top Group F ahead of El Tri. Meanwhile, Switzerland finished as runners-up behind Brazil in Group E.
There will be big motivation for both teams as Spain's shock exit from the World Cup at the hands of Russia on Sunday has ensured the bottom half of the draw is wide open.
Football writer Colin Millar noted how Sweden are one of the few teams left who have reached a World Cup final before:
Former Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic said his country can go all the way, per Goal:
The absence of Ibrahimovic means there is no real superstar in the Swedish squad, and they are not the most expansive team in Russia. However, they are an organised, hard-working side who showed real team spirit to recover from a late defeat to Germany and respond with a comfortable win over Mexico.
Switzerland have also shown their quality in the tournament by beating South Korea and drawing with Brazil and Serbia to progress to the knockout phase.
However, they will be weakened in defence as captain Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schar are both suspended. Johan Djourou and Michael Lang are expected to come into the back four in their place.
Switzerland have not kept a clean sheet in the tournament yet, and they must now cope with a reshuffled defence against Sweden, which could just give Janne Andersson's men the edge in what looks to be a tight contest.
Colombia vs. England
Colombia lost their opening World Cup match against Japan but went on to top Group H after wins over Senegal and Poland.
However, they go into Tuesday's match with star man James Rodriguez an injury concern after he was forced off in the first half of their win over Senegal.
Manager Jose Pekerman offered an update on his condition, per Simon Peach at the Press Association:
Rodriguez has the creativity to unlock defences and also supplies vital goals, making him one of Colombia's biggest threats.
Playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero has also starred for Colombia and, like Rodriguez, has the creativity and invention to cause the England defence problems.
Squawka Football highlighted his effectiveness:
Quintero's set-piece delivery has also been a threat, and England will need to watch out for Barcelona defender Yerry Mina, who has two goals in two games for Colombia.
The Three Lions rested key players for their final group game against Belgium, which they lost 1-0 to finish as runners-up in Group G.
The highlight of their campaign has been the 6-1 win over Panama, which saw Harry Kane score a hat-trick to top the Golden Boot standings with five goals.
Pekerman is wary of the threat posed by the Tottenham Hotspur striker, per Peach:
Simon Peach @SimonPeach#COL coach Pekerman on #ENG captain Kane: "He's a great scorer & playing very well. He's one of the top scorers in the world, so we need to be very careful about him tomorrow. We need to avoid any opportunity. When you have a forward like him, it's very, very difficult to stop"
With the draw opening up, England have an excellent chance to make a big impact at the tournament. The Three Lions are now favourites to reach the final, per BBC journalist Francis Keogh:
Manager Gareth Southgate selected a young and inexperienced squad for the World Cup, and they arrived in Russia under little pressure. Expectations are rapidly rising, though, and if they can beat a talented Colombia side, they will feel they can reach a first final since 1966.