Pre-match information
The Swiss team entered the confrontation with Colombia with great confidence after winning three consecutive victories at the 2026 World Cup.
Coach Murat Yakin's team started the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Qatar. After that, they defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-1 thanks to the explosion at the end of the match, when all 5 goals were scored after the 74th minute.
Two players who came on from the bench, Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas, created a turning point, thereby being given a starting spot by Yakin in the last round of the group stage against Canada. This decision continued to be effective when Switzerland won 2-1 to win the top spot in Group B and advance to the knockout round.
In the round of 32, Manzambi continued to shine with an assist for Breel Embolo to score the opening goal in the victory over Algeria. The 20-year-old midfielder's performance contributed to helping Switzerland play more cohesively and confidently.
On the other side, Colombia also brought very high form into this match. Coach Nestor Lorenzo's team is unbeaten in the last 6 matches with five wins and one draw.
The only draw was the 0-0 draw against Portugal in the last round of the group stage. This was a match where Davinson Sanchez once put the ball into the net but the goal was disallowed for offside. However, Colombia still topped Group K before defeating Ghana 1-0 in the round of 32 to write their name into the round of 16.
The victory over Ghana is even more meaningful when Jhon Cordoba suffered an early injury, forcing Colombia to adjust their playing style but still maintain their advantage.
The biggest strength of the South American representative is a solid defense. Colombia has kept a clean sheet in 3 consecutive matches and has only conceded one goal at the 2026 World Cup, in the 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan on the opening day.
