On the eve of Colombia's clash with South Korea, both teams are brimming with confidence in their ability to follow Germany in the race for second-place qualification, making the upcoming group stage all the more crucial.
Ji Xiaoran is undoubtedly one of the stars of the South Korean team, and for many years she was considered one of the top female soccer players in the world. Having played against her on many occasions, I know that she has a remarkable skill set, with excellent accuracy in both short and long passes, good positioning, and an outstanding ability to shoot from distance. Therefore, I predict that she will lead her national team to an outstanding performance.
Zhao Zhaoxian is also another star in the team, and her experience playing in England makes her even more valuable. Not only is she a fierce playing midfielder, but she is also technically equally good, and this battle may be the one that swings the game.
Colombia finished second in the last Women's CONCACAF Champions League, and have a number of experienced players in their squad.England beat Colombia in the 2015 Women's World Cup, and a few of the players from that year, such as midfielders Montoya and Usme, are still stalwarts of the team today.
However, the most talked about player is undoubtedly the 18-year-old starlet Linda Castro. She won the Most Valuable Player award at the last Copa América, scored the winning goal against Argentina and joined Real Madrid.
Linda Kasdol is a very promising player with a high level of skill on the plate and South Korea will have to be wary of her attacking on the wing and if they let their guard down, the keeper could be under immense pressure.
