World Cup last-16: Colombia vs Jamaica – Match preview, live stream, kick-off time, prediction, team news, lineups
Tuesday sees the last day of the Round of 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The first game will see Colombia take on Jamaica at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium – the winner will play England in the quarter-finals.
Jamaica collected five points to claim second place in Group F while Colombia finished top of Group H with six points.Â
- Match 56: Colombia vs Jamaica (09:00, Melbourne) – ITV
- 2023 Women’s World Cup: What is the Round of 16? Who’s facing who, when and how to watch
Match preview
This is expected to be an extremely tight game that could really go either way. We’re sure it’ll be high energy and physical and we expect Jamaica to continue holding its strong defensive back. Don’t be surprised if this is another match that goes to penalties.
Colombia preview
The South Americans have been involved in one of the most dramatic stories at the 2023 tournament so far – their impressive performance contributed to Germany’s group-stage exit.
Colombia kicked off their world cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over South Korea, before pulling off the unthinkable with a surprise 2-1 win against Germany.
A winning goal in stoppage time effectively sealed Colombia’s place in the last-16 with a game to spare.
Despite a narrow 1-0 defeat to Morocco in their final group game, they were able to finish at the top of their group to set up a tie with Jamaica.
Colombia lost their only previous last-16 appearance in 2015 and will be looking to claim their first-ever knockout victory.
Jamaica preview
Jamaica are enjoying a historic tournament after they successfully navigated a difficult group.
They were able to hold France to a goalless draw in their opening match before going on to beat Panama 1-0 on Matchday Two to record their first-ever victory at the Women’s World Cup.
They put up another strong defensive display in their final group game against Brazil, playing out a 0-0 draw to secure their place in the last-16 and knock Brazil out of the competition.
It’s the first time Jamaica have reached the knockout rounds and the Reggae Girlz will be looking to make more history and progress to the last-8.
Jamaica are one of only two teams left that have not yet conceded a goal and their strong backline will be key to defeating Colombia.
Team News
Colombia will be unable to call upon the services of Real Sociedad defender Manuela Vanegas, who is suspended after picking up her second booking of the tournament against Morocco.
With Vanegas ruled out, Daniela Caracas could be brought into the side to feature in a back four alongside Carolina Arias, Jorelyn Carabali and Daniela Arias.
Linda Caicedo will be one of Colombia’s key attacking outlets, and she will be looking to add to the two goals that she has already scored at the tournament.
As for their opponents, Jamaica boss Lorne Donaldson could opt for consistency and select the same side that started the goalless draw against Brazil.
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer will feature in between the posts, and she will be shielded by the central defensive pairing of Allyson Swaby and Chantelle Swaby, who have helped their country keep three consecutive clean sheets at the Women’s World Cup.
Khadija Shaw, who scored 20 league goals for Manchester City last season, will offer Jamaica’s main goal threat when she leads the line against Colombia.
Colombia Women possible starting lineup:
Perez; C. Arias, Carabali, D. Arias, Caracas; Bedoya, Montoya; Caicedo, Usme, Santos; Ramirez
Jamaica Women possible starting lineup:
Spencer; Wiltshire, A. Swaby, C. Swaby, Blackwood; Sampson, Spence; Matthews, Primus, Brown; Shaw
WTX Sports predicts Jamaica to win 5-4 on penalties
This game won’t be easy and we can see it going either way. Expect a strong defensive line and don’t be surprised if it’s another Round of 16 match decided by spot kicks.
