19 June,2014 08:24 AM IST | | AFP
Colombia are planning to rely on a possession game to combat the speed and power of Ivory Coast when the two sides meet in Brasilia today
Fredy Guarin
Brasïlia: Colombia are planning to rely on a possession game to combat the speed and power of Ivory Coast when the two sides meet in Brasilia today.
Fredy Guarin
It is a Group C match in which there is everything to gain for two sides who began their World Cup campaigns with victories.
Colombia top the group after a dominant 3-0 victory over Greece while Ivory Coast hit back from a goal down to beat Japan 2-1.
The Japanese struggled to make their high-tempo, high-energy gameplan work against the Africans but Colombia midfielder Fredy Guarin says the South Americans will look to bypass the physical advantages of the Elephants by making the ball do the work.
The Inter Milan player said Colombia were "ready" and "looking forward" to the match against opponents who are "powerful and very fast".
"They're a very physically strong team who fight for every ball and will rely on their physicality to try to beat us, but with our football, our passing and control of the ball we can have success," said the 27-year-old.
"To beat them we have a plan and we mustn't have any doubts about that plan," he added.
