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What to watch for today
England v. Panama | Group G
In their first match, Panama held off Belgium for 45 minutes, but in the end a 3-0 loss was an entirely fair result. This being their first World Cup, getting out of the group wasn’t the expectation, but they could still prove frustrating for England. Gareth Southgate cooly deflected drama that the English press had released his lineup, and will instead be focused on how to engineer a few more goals out of his side. England scraped past Tunisia in injury time, despite being the superior team throughout. A bit more incisiveness (from Rashford perhaps?) will be key. An England win would ensure they and Belgium go through.
Japan v. Senegal | Group H
Group H was the most unpredictable of them all, and here we are with Japan and Senegal sitting on three points apiece while #16 ranked Colombia and #8 ranked Poland are without. Japan were the lucky beneficiaries of an early Colombia red card, but did well to see out the result, showing more cohesion than many expected, given a recent managerial change. Senegal controlled their match against Poland, with crisp, intentional passing and a well-organized defence. It’s the least high-profile game of the day, but could give us the best matchup.
Poland v. Colombia | Group H
Poland looked lost against Senegal. While Senegal were fluid and coordinated, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski was isolated and had just a single shot on target. Of course, it’s difficult to truly gauge a team based on their first match and even moreso for Colombia, who played with 10 men for 87 minutes. James Rodriguez came off the bench against Japan, but should be ready from the start for this one. Opposite him, Polish defender Kamil Glik should return after missing the first match as well. That gives us two full-strength sides both needing a win.