England vs Colombia - Women's World Cup last-8: Lionesses face Colombians without Lauren James - str
ENGLAND face a huge Women's World Cup quarter-final against Colombia - and all the action unfolds THIS morning!
The Lionesses scraped past Nigeria on penalties on Monday morning to advance to the last eight.
But they were far from their best despite the result ultimately going their way.
The win also came at a price as Lauren James was sent off for a stamp on an opposing player deep into the second half.
James is now suspended for the quarter-final and could miss the remainder of the tournament as FIFA may still choose to extend her ban to two or three games.
England’s opponents Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 in their quarter-final clash on Tuesday morning.
They’ve been a surprise package so far after topping Group H despite facing up against a highly rated Germany side.
And they showed no signs of stopping during their victory over Jamaica where their young talents continued to impress.
England will be hoping for a much easier game than the Nigeria one, which ended 0-0 after a tense 120 minutes, but Colombia have proved themselves very tricky opposition so far in the tournament.
Sarina Wiegman’s side will have to be at a higher level if they want to book themselves a place in the final four.
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Their most convincing performance came in their 6-1 trashing of China, but with the suspended James the star in that match it leaves the Lionesses searching for another way to take the game to Colombia.
With the tournament already seeing shock exits for Brazil and USA, England will feel they have a real shot of going all the way and lifting the trophy, but they’ll have to get past a hungry Colombian side first.
What is their form like?
England didn’t look at their best against Nigeria last time out with many fans saying they were lucky to advance.
But they’ve certainly shown glimpses throughout the tournament of their ability and there’s hope they can reach their European Championship winning levels once again.
Colombia have never made it this far in a World Cup before and are riding the wave of their underdog status.
They’ll be flying high following their victory over Jamaica and can take confidence from their wins against Germany and South Korea in the group stages.
What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?
The big news for England is that Lauren James is suspended following her red card for a stamp in the last 16 clash against Nigeria.
Keira Walsh returned to the side but came off late in the game, though it's unclear if that was due to injury.
Chloe Kelly could be the replacement for James as Wiegman may look to change up her formation.
Otherwise England are set to have close to a full squad available for the game.
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Who will be the star players?
England will be looking to find a new spark in the absence of the suspended James.
But with so much pressure now building on the Lionesses, the star could be the calm and experienced head of Lucy Bronze.
As for Colombia, youngster Linda Caicedo has been one to watch for them throughout the tournament.
The 18-year-old Real Madrid forward has already bagged two goals and will need to continue her form if the South Americans are to progress past England.
What have the managers said?
Sarina Wiegmann knows that Saturday’s clash isn’t going to be a walk in the park and has highlighted the difficulty of this year's competition.
She said in a recent interview: “Nothing is easy in this tournament, that is what’s very exciting about this tournament too, you see the women's game has improved so much.
“You saw it in the group stage, so many games were equal and it's not the expected teams have won all the time.”
Whilst Colombia boss Nelson Abadia is in no hurry to write his team's chances off.
Speaking after his side’s victory over Jamaica he said: “Of course England is one of the favourites – that goes without saying, they are the European champions.
“But we also faced Germany, they were the second best worldwide but we were wise enough, we had the composure with our players, and we will face that game against England with composure.”
SunSport prediction
It’s hard to know whether England can reset and return to their best form or if Colombia’s superb run may come to an end.
But ultimately with the prize of a World Cup semi-final awaiting the winner, it feels as if England’s experience may prove invaluable.
Prediction: England 2-0 Colombia
When is England vs Colombia?
- England's clash with Colombia will take place TODAY - Saturday, August 12.
- The game will be held at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
- England vs Colombia will kick off at 11.30am BST in the UK.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
- England vs Colombia will be shown live on ITV1 and ITV1 HD in the UK.
- Coverage will begin at 10.45am BST.
- You can live stream the action from the ITV X app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
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Can I watch for FREE?
Yes, England vs Colombia is available to watch for FREE in the UK, so long as you have a TV licence.
You can stream the action for free on the ITV X app as well.
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