Colombia U-20 – Slovakia U-20

The European team will play well against the favourites

Colombia qualified for the World Cup after finishing third at home to CONMEBOL. In eight games in that tournament, Colombia lost only to second-placed Uruguay after the Brazilians. In friendlies before the World Cup, Colombia lost to Wales and drew with Nigeria. In the group stage, the South American representative took first place, but the result was not even remotely easy for the team. In the first leg, Hector Cárdenas' side secured a 2-1 win against Israel in the 90th minute only to be denied a goal by their opponents on aggregate. In the second round, Japan were defeated by the same score, who could have equalized in the second half, but failed to convert a penalty. Finally, in the third-round encounter with Senegal, Colombia made a 90+5 minute escape, snatching a draw from the African champion and sending them out of the tournament. Slovakia qualified for the World Cup for the second time at this age from fifth place in the continental competition. The European side started the group stage with a 4-0 win over Fiji. Such a huge goal difference against the underdogs sealed the fate of the Slovaks when it came to making the play-offs. Alberts Rusnák's side lost their games against better-performing Ecuadorians and Americans. The Slovaks were held to two goals each, although only the South Americans managed to score a consolation goal. The four goals against Fiji - which gave the Slovaks an edge over their opponents from the other groups - contributed to the rankings for the third-ranked teams. Bookmakers have identified the South Americans as the clear favourites to win, with an odds of 1.42 to win. Estimates put the Colombian side's value at four and a half times that of their upcoming opponents. At the same time, Cárdenas' team have not won a single convincing victory at the current tournament. In the play-offs, their opponents will be set up defensively. Despite the group defeats, the Slovaks have a cohesive team and a style of play that will not allow them to lose by more than one goal.