Colombia vs Croatia – News and Probable Lineups

Colombia and Croatia are ramping up their World Cup preparations with an exciting friendly match this Thursday evening at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, USA.

Los Cafeteros haven’t lost in over a year, while their European rivals will aim to continue their impressive run, which includes seven victories in their last eight fixtures.

Match overview

Colombia failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup but have bounced back strongly, making it to the 2026 tournament in remarkable fashion.

Nestor Lorenzo and his squad recorded only four losses in 18 qualifying matches while netting 28 goals – just three behind top scorers Argentina.

Goals have been flowing in recent months, with Los Cafeteros scoring six against Colombia, four against Mexico, and three against Australia in their latest official fixture.

Lorenzo’s team remains unbeaten since their 2-1 loss to Brazil last March, and they’re gaining significant momentum ahead of their eagerly awaited World Cup return.

Upcoming matches against Croatia and France will serve as serious challenges for La Tricolor as they prepare to face European heavyweights Portugal in their World Cup group.

Croatia is also enhancing their World Cup prep by scheduling friendlies against Colombia, Brazil, and Belgium.

The European side has achieved podium finishes in their last two World Cups and replicating those successes will be a challenge for Zlatko Dalic and his team.

Captain Luka Modric and vice-captain Ivan Perisic have a combined age of 77, while key players like Andrej Kramaric, Mario Pasalic, and Dominik Livakovic are also in their 30s.

Emerging players in the squad will have a chance to shine during these forthcoming international friendlies, and Dalic will be relying on their performance in the lead-up to this summer’s major tournament.

Croatia has never faced Colombia before, but the South American side is anticipated to provide a tougher challenge than their recent adversaries.

Even with seven wins from their last eight internationals, Croatia’s most formidable opponent during that stretch was the Czech Republic, who is positioned 43rd by FIFA.

Colombia form (all competitions):

W W W D W W

Croatia form (all competitions):

W W D W W W

Team News

Colombia has been proficient in attack in recent months, although Luis Diaz remains one of two players in the squad with over 20 international goals.

The Bayern Munich forward has been actively involved for his club lately, and his experience will be crucial for the national team.

Speaking of experience, captain James Rodriguez will aim to secure his 123rd international cap as the Minnesota United player continues to play a vital role for the national side.

In terms of absentees, defender Yerry Mina is not included in the squad and will not add to his impressive total of 52 caps.

Croatia, conversely, still boasts much experience in their squad, notably through Modric, Perisic, and Kramaric.

If Modric gets some playing time in Orlando, the AC Milan star will achieve 195 international appearances.

In the goalkeeping department, there are two players without international experience, including Hull City’s Ivor Pandur.

Dalic may choose to give some crucial international minutes to Pandur or Karlo Letica instead of Dominik Livakovic, who has already racked up 71 appearances for Croatia.

Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are significant absentees for the national team, both sidelined by injuries.

Colombia probable starting XI:

Vargas; Arias, Sanchez, Lucumi, Cabal; Lerma, Rios; Quintero, Rodriguez, Diaz; Suarez

Croatia probable starting XI:

Letica; Jakic, Sutalo, Caleta-Car, Stanisic; Modric, Moro; Pasalic, Vlasic, Perisic; Budimir

International friendlies are often hard to predict as the intensity level varies.

Both teams are in decent form, but as Colombia is producing excellent goal-scoring statistics, we expect that trend to remain.