Colombia face England as Sweden play Switzerland today

REPINO, July 02 (Reuters): For all the talk about England's progress under Gareth Southgate, his youthful side have yet to be truly examined in this World Cup but Tuesday's last 16 opponents Colombia will certainly ask the right questions.

With or without their talented number 10 James Rodriguez, the South American possess plenty of talent and their run to the quarterfinals in Brazil four years ago showed they are capable of something England haven't managed in 12 years - winning in the knockout stage.

England qualified from Group G thanks to wins over Tunisia and Panama and with their place booked they fielded a second-string side in their 1-0 defeat to a similarly weakened Belgium in a strange final group game that neither side showed much desire to win.

Rodriguez, whose involvement is questionable as he is suffering from swelling in his leg, was the Golden Boot winner in 2014 with six goals and before his fitness problems was showing signs of that form again.

Radamel Falcao's failure to make a strong impact in the Premier League during spells with Manchester United and Chelsea, should not disguise the fact that he is a prolific finisher and a real threat.

England right-back Kieran Trippier, who impressed so much in the opening two games, says the players are well aware of the challenge facing them.

Trippier suggested England will continue with the approach they have shown so far in this tournament and indeed Southgate is expected to return to the line-up that he started with in the opener against Tunisia.

It means Dele Alli should be back in his supporting role to five-goal striker Harry Kane at the expense of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Colombia defensive midfielder Carlos Sanchez expects a tight encounter.

Meanwhile, Switzerland go into their last-16 World Cup match against Sweden in St Petersburg on Tuesday with a much more exciting squad than those at past tournaments, but only victory will secure a lasting legacy for their so-called 'Golden generation'.

The Swiss may lack quality up front, but sound organisation and teamwork have enabled them to overcome their shortcomings, although they are bound to be tested by the absence of their captain Stephan Lichtsteiner and Fabian Schar.

The defensive duo, who are suspended after picking up two yellow cards each, are an integral part of the Swiss back line, and if the is to progress at the tournament it must first work out how to cope without the two.

But with players such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, who ply their trade in Europe's top leagues, the Swiss still have a decent chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since they hosted the World Cup 1954.

Draws with Brazil and Costa Rica and victory over Serbia secured second place in Group E for the Swiss behind Brazil, while Germany's shock elimination means Vladimir Petkovic's side face far more limited opponents in Sweden than they would have dared to hope for when the draw was first made.

Like the Swiss, the Swedes have gone about their campaign with a brisk, businesslike efficiency, with their only blip coming in their last-minute 2-1 loss to Germany, which was bracketed by victories over South Korea and Mexico.

Both teams escaped the group stages with a minimum of fuss, scoring five goals each.

The goals have been spread around, with Swedish skipper Andreas Granqvist the only player on either team to have scored more than once in Russia, with both his goals coming from the penalty spot. The group stages have shown that Sweden may be content to block the spaces in midfield without pressing too high and try to pinch a goal on the counter as they look to match or better their run to the semi-finals in 1994.

Sweden's goalkeeper Robin Olsen taking part in a training at Saint-Petersburg stadium on Monday, on the eve of the team's round of sixteen match as part of the Russia 2018 World Cup football tournament

— AFP