Our betting expert expects this to be a slow burner. Colombia should control the game and eventually edge out the Africans.
Best bets for Colombia vs Ghana
- 1x2 & BTTS - Colombia & no at odds of 2.08 on Tonybet
- First half 1x2 - Draw at odds of 2.25 on Tonybet
- Anytime goalscorer - Luis Diaz at odds of 2.70 on Tonybet
All odds are courtesy of Tonybet, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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No question marks over Colombia’s quality
Colombia head into this knockout fixture full of confidence. El Tricolor have put in controlled performances, showing real attacking threat. Their record against African teams is also positive, as they’ve won three of the last five such fixtures.
Meanwhile, Ghana have had a mixed bag of results recently. The Black Stars won just one of their last nine internationals. That run included five defeats on the bounce, but they hope to move away from that trend with Queiroz at the helm.
Still, the reality is that the Ghanaians have scored just two goals across their three World Cup games so far. They’ve not capitalised on the talents of Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenyo just yet, focusing more on being defensively solid.
The Opta supercomputer gives Colombia a 71.9% chance of progressing, compared to Ghana’s 28.1%.
With Nestor’s team keeping back-to-back clean sheets in the competition, they are expected to keep Ghana at bay. Three of their last four matches (75%) have finished without both teams scoring. The same has been the case in three of Ghana’s last five games (60%).
- Colombia vs Ghana Betting Tip 1: 1x2 & BTTS - Colombia & no at odds of 2.08 on Tonybet
Backing a slow start to the game
With a place in the last 16 up for grabs, we don’t expect goals to flow in this one. Ghana’s deep defence is used to absorbing pressure with the hope of creating chances through their counter-attack. The Black Stars managed a clean sheet against England despite facing the Three Lions’ gems up front.
Colombia need to find a way past the African’s low block, which may take longer than expected. Additionally, Nestor’s men are well-drilled at the back. They’ve only shipped one goal in the competition so far. It would take something extraordinary for Ghana to breach their defence, especially in the first period.
The South Americans have already been level at the break in each of their last two matches. Ghana, meanwhile, went into half-time deadlocked in three of their previous four games (75%). As a result, we expect both teams to test each other in the opening stanza of this game.
- Colombia vs Ghana Betting Tip 2: First half 1x2 - Draw at odds of 2.25 on Tonybet
Backing a man hungry for goals
The top scorer for Colombia at this World Cup is right-back Daniel Munoz. He scored in their opening game. This was followed by netting the winner against DR Congo, while having one chalked off for offside.
Luis Diaz is the other prospect to back in scoring anytime in this knockout clash.
The former Liverpool man opened his account against Uzbekistan. He could have had a brace against DR Congo, but both goals were ruled out.
He’s clearly eager to add to his goal tally and stands out as the man likely to find the back of the net.
As he comes in from the left, Diaz will prove difficult to stop for the Ghanaian defence. After scoring 15 Bundesliga goals and providing 14 assists in 32 league games for Bayern Munich, he’s certainly not someone to be underestimated.
- Colombia vs Ghana Betting Tip 3: Anytime goalscorer - Luis Diaz at odds of 2.70 on Tonybet
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: Colombia 1-0 Ghana
- Goalscorers prediction: Colombia: Luis Diaz
Colombia have surprised many at this World Cup. They were expected to finish runners-up in their group at best. However, they surpassed expectations by topping Group K and coming through the knockouts unscathed. Nestor Lorenzo’s men won their first two group games with convincing performances and held Portugal to a draw in their final match.
The South Americans’ ability to control matches has been a key factor in their progress to the last 32 of the competition. La Tricolor hope to book their spot in the last 16 with a positive result against Ghana. A victory would set up a meeting with either Switzerland or Algeria.
Lorenzo will fancy his troops in that case. He’ll back them to make it to the quarter-finals at the very least. Ghana squeezed through to this stage of the World Cup as one of eight third-placed teams. The Black Stars registered three different results across their group matches, which exposed their inconsistencies.
Carlos Queiroz is building the African side to be defensively resilient, which is how they drew goalless with England. Their only victory came thanks to a late strike against Panama, while they suffered a loss against Croatia in their final group game.
Ghana’s resurgence in the tournament could help them upset the odds with a composed performance and shocking victory.
Probable lineups for Colombia vs Ghana
Colombia expected lineup: Vargas, Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Machado, Arias, Lerma, Puerta, Rodriguez, Diaz, Suarez
Ghana expected lineup: Asare, Senaya, Adjetey, Opoku, Mensah, Partey, Semenyo, Yirenkyi, Sibo, Williams, Ayew