Preview:Colombia vs Australia - prediction, team news, lineups

With the World Cup a little over 200 days away, both Colombia and Australia will be looking to step up their preparations when they meet in New York for a tasty international friendly on Tuesday.

Los Cafeteros come into this game on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run, while the Socceroos will be desperate for a positive result after losing their last two outings.

Match preview

Colombia sealed their place at next summer’s tournament with an impressive third-place finish during the CONMEBOL qualifiers – ending their qualifying campaign above the likes of Brazil and Uruguay.

Since then, Nestor Lorenzo and his men have been focused on building momentum ahead of the tournament, picking up a couple of solid wins over the last two months.

Los Cafeteros travelled to Texas at the beginning of October and came away with a thumping 4-0 victory over upcoming World Cup co-hosts Mexico.

Last Sunday, Colombia travelled to Fort Lauderdale and earned a 2-1 victory over New Zealand in their latest friendly, with Johan Carbonero scoring an 88th minute winner.

Lorenzo’s men have only lost one game this calendar year, which came away against Brazil back in January during the qualifying campaign.

Colombia are currently on an eight-match unbeaten run, with four of their last five encounters ending in victories. They will be determined to mark the end of the year with another success as they look to build more momentum ahead of next summer.

When it comes to Australia, the Socceroos are preparing to participate in their sixth successive World Cup campaign.

Back in 2022, the Aussies made history by reaching the knockout stage of a World Cup tournament for just the second time in their history.

Head coach Tony Popovic now has the difficult task of trying to go one step further, though that may prove far easier said than done – especially with the Socceroos struggling to build much momentum.

Following a tremendous qualifying campaign – which saw Australia lose just one of their 10 group matches – they embarked on a series of international friendlies which have produced a mixture of results.

Wins over New Zealand and Canada helped to build confidence, though the Aussies have since faced successive defeats against the United States and Venezuela.

With time running out until the start of the World Cup, Australia will be determined to return to winning ways and build some serious momentum.

Colombia form (all competitions):

D W W W D W

Australia form (all competitions):

W W W W L L

Team News

Gustavo Puerta enjoyed a memorable start to his international career at senior level after scoring against New Zealand on his debut for Colombia.

The 22-year-old, who currently plays for Racing Santander after spells with Bayer Leverkusen and Hull City, is expected to make his second international appearance away in New York.

Bayern Munich star Luis Diaz is undoubtedly the man to watch, considering he has scored six goals across his last 10 matches for club and country.

Captain James Rodriguez is expected to earn his 122nd international cap for Colombia, and he will be looking to add to his current tally of 30 goals for his national side.

Australia, on the other hand, tinkered with the team and named three debutants for the 1-0 defeat to Venezuela – a scoreline which was rather generous to the Socceroos.

Forward Riley McGree came off the bench in that defeat and delivered a solid display – he will now be looking for a starting spot against Colombia.

Goalkeeper Patrick Beach made his debut against Venezuela and was arguably their best player, preventing what could have been a heavy defeat.

Nick D’Agostino is expected to miss out after going down with an injury in the final moments of training on Thursday.

Colombia possible starting lineup:

Montero; Angulo Mosquera, Cuesta, Mina, S. Arias; Lerma, Puerta; Diaz, Rodriguez, J. Arias; Cordoba

Australia possible starting lineup:

Beach; Miller, Degenek, Trewin; Geria, Okon-Engstler, Metcalfe, O’Neill; McGree, Irankunda; Toure

We say: Colombia 3-1 Australia

Australia looked out of their depth against Venezuela and were somewhat lucky to avoid a thrashing courtesy of their goalkeeper.

Colombia are not Venezuela – they are a far stronger outfit. Lorenzo’s men have a propensity to be clinical, and that could push them towards a comfortable victory.

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