England vs Colombia prediction, odds, betting tips, best bets for Women's World Cup 2023 quarterfinals
After a hard-fought shootout win over Nigeria in the round of 16, England won't be taking anyone lightly as they face Colombia in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The Lionesses were held off the scoresheet for 120 minutes last time out, ultimately needing to prevail on penalties as Nigeria faltered in front of goal all match.
Now without the suspended Lauren James, who was sent off for violent conduct against Nigeria and is banned two games, England will have to conjure a better attacking performance knowing they will be burned eventually should they continue to play with fire.
Colombia was the first and only team to breach the Jamaica defence last time out, winning 1-0 via a 51st-minute goal by Catalina Usme. That alone underpins the need for England to find the back of the net, knowing one moment could see them undone.
Colombia, ranked 25th in the world, have done exceedingly well to reach this stage, but they are not quite cut out for this matchup. Rankings don't mean everything, as 40th-placed Nigeria proved, and even this Colombia team in knocking out Germany, but it's quality in the final third that ultimately makes the difference.
England should prove too powerful for Colombia, who themselves missed two of their three 'big chances' against Jamaica, and will need to be ruthless at both ends to have a chance at reaching an unprecedented semifinal.
England have been a first-half team all tournament long. They clung to first-half goals against Haiti and Denmark in 1-0 victories, and even against China (a blowout) and Nigeria (a scoreless draw), the majority of their chances came ahead of the interval, before they began to fade.
The Lionesses will know they need to capitalise on a fast start and establish an
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