Colombia has been named as one of the possible surprises in the upcoming World Cup, mainly due to their multi-talented and experienced team.
Sharing Group H with Poland, Senegal and Japan, Los Cafeteros seem to be destined to win that group, and judging by the squad they will present in Russia, some might say this could be their best chance to represent CONMEBOL in the semi-final stage.
Coach's objective
Having never been able to reach the semi-final stage of this competition, Pekerman and Co. know this will be their best -and maybe last- chance of doing so. They have the talent and experience from four years ago. Why not go the last mile?
New faces
Midfielder Mateus Uribe, one of the team's rising stars, will be one of the players to watch for Los Cafeteros. His rise to stardom began with Atlético Nacional, but his performances with Liga MX's Club América made him one of the best players in the Mexican top flight in less than a year. If he's handed the chance to start, he will surely leave a lasting impression.
Veterans
Radamel Falcao will be the reference for Colombia in this World Cup. Having missed the 2014 edition, "El Tigre" will be eager to prove his worth to the world, in what could see Colombia reaching the final stages of the competition for the first time.
Major absences
Camilo Zúñiga, the man that infamously injured Neymar during the 2014 World Cup, will not feature for Colombia this time around. Former Atlético Madrid striker Jackson Martínez, who once became the best-paid Colombian player of all time after joining Guangzhou Evergrande, didn't make the cut to feature in Pekerman's team.
Full squad list
Goalkeepers: David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, José Fernando Cuadrado.
Defenders: Cristian Zapata, Oscar Murillo, Santiago Arias, Yerry Mina, Johan Mojíca, Farid Díaz, Davinson Sánchez.
Midfielders: Wilmar Barrios, Carlos Sánchez, Abel Aguilar, James Rodríguez, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Jefferson Lerma, Mateus Uribe, Juan Fernando Quintero.
Strikers: Carlos Bacca, Radamel Falcao García, Luis Muriel, Miguel Borja, José Izquierdo.
