Preview: Colombia vs Congo DR - prediction, team news, lineups

About a week after claiming their first-ever World Cup point, DR Congo return to action against early Group K leaders Colombia at Estadio Guadalajara on Tuesday.

Yoane Wissa scored for the Leopards to peg back Portugal, while the South American side eventually saw off Uzbekistan 3-1 to secure maximum points in their tournament opener.

Match preview

Nestor Lorenzo's Colombia headed into their tournament opener against Uzbekistan knowing they could seize the early initiative in the group after Portugal could only draw with the DRC.

Los Cafeteros did exactly that, even if Fabio Cannavaro's Uzbek side gave them a scare for much of an absorbing evening at the Azteca.

Ultimately, Luis Diaz's 65th-minute strike put the Coffee Growers 2-1 up, and a draw remained a dreaded outcome until Jaminton Campaz put the game out of the debutants' reach in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time.

That success leaves Colombia as the only side in the group to have secured maximum points heading into Tuesday, when another victory will send them into the round of 32.

Aware of the Leopards defensive resoluteness, the Cafeteros, who have reached the quarter-finals and the last 16 in their previous two appearances, will hope to secure the win that confirms their place in the first knockout round.

Sebastien Desabre's men will not be willing participants in granting Lorenzo's side safe passage to the next round, with the Leopards' return to the global stage after 52 years underlining that they are not in North America simply to make up the numbers.

While Desabre opted for a back five, as he is intermittently inclined to do, conceding after six minutes to Joao Neves's header could have caused them to lose their nerve.

However, the DRC instead showed personality and strength of character, limiting Roberto Martinez's men to six more shots for the remainder of the match while attempting eight themselves at the other end.

Observers of a DR Congo persuasion may even have rued two chances that the Leopards missed to take a 2-1 lead late on, with Cedric Bakambu firing aimlessly over after being set up by Noah Sadiki, while Joris Kayembe made a hash of a cross from just outside the Portugal box minutes later when he had three team-mates breaking their necks to score a tap-in.

Nonetheless, the glass is half-full for the African nation, not half-empty, as they have shown that they belong at this level and now strive to claim their first victory at the global tournament in their fifth game.

Colombia World Cup form:

Colombia form (all competitions):

Congo DR World Cup form:

Congo DR form (all competitions):

Team News

Having utilised an ultra-attacking 4-3-3 in their opening game, with Jhon Arias used in the midfield three, Lorenzo may rein in his side against the Leopards.

The manager could switch to a more familiar 4-2-3-1, with the evergreen James Rodriguez featuring in the No. 10 role behind goal machine Luis Suarez, who may have failed to score against Uzbekistan but netted 28 league goals for Sporting Lisbon in 2025-26.

Diaz, though, remains the team's star forward, given that Rodriguez is no longer in his prime, and the Bayern Munich wide attacker can hurt the DRC by both creating and scoring.

As for Desabre, there may be temptation to drop the back five used against Portugal and revert to a four-man defence, although their defensive resoluteness is likely to remain.

The Leopards have never lost by more than one goal under the French manager, and their backline will be marshalled by the experienced Chancel Mbemba, who risks suspension against Uzbekistan after his booking versus Portugal.

Wissa and Bakambu will carry the attacking burden at the other end of the pitch, with Wissa putting a difficult debut season at Newcastle United behind him to score his nation's first World Cup goal.

Colombia possible starting lineup:

Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Rios, Lerma; Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Suarez

Congo DR possible starting lineup:

Mpasi; Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kayembe; Mukau, Moutoussamy, Sadiki; Bongonda, Bakambu, Wissa

We say: Colombia 1-1 Congo DR

Colombia were given a significantly higher chance of progressing in our World Cup betting guide, but the DRC have already shown that they are no pushovers.

While the Tricolour head into Tuesday night's fixture having scored two goals or more in their past three matches, securing a pair of 3-1 wins, the Leopards are an incredibly hard side to beat.

As such, another draw could play out at Estadio Guadalajara, with the Leopards heading into their final group fixture against Uzbekistan with qualification likely to be in their hands.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.