Published Jun 10, 5:57am ET by
Alex Dudley - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 10, 5:57am ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Jun 10, 5:57am ET
The action in Group K at the FIFA World Cup gets underway on June 17, as Uzbekistan and Colombia collide on MD1 in Mexico City.
Both nations will have aspirations of finishing in the top two places, but which team will kick off the World Cup with a victory on Wednesday evening?
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|
|---|---|
| Uzbekistan | +800 |
| DRAW | +377 |
| Colombia | -250 |
Uzbekistan will be making their debut at the World Cup this summer, but the players can lean on the experience of their manager, as Fabio Cannavaro won the tournament with Italy back in 2006. The nation from the AFC region qualified for the competition with an impressive record, winning ten of their 16 fixtures.
However, defensive vulnerability has been a trait throughout, as they allowed eleven goals in qualifying against lower-ranked rivals than they will face in Group K. Uzbekistan have underperformed in their warm-up fixtures, losing back-to-back encounters against Canada and the Netherlands.
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South American heavyweights Colombia are expected to dominate Uzbekistan on MD1. Los Cafeteros will be widely expected to finish second in the Group K standings, as they make their seventh appearance at the World Cup.
The nation previously reached the quarterfinals in 2014, and they booked their spot at the tournament after finishing third in South American qualification. Colombia won seven of their 18 fixtures, and showed attacking quality with 28 goals scored. Luis Diaz will be their key man after registering 44 goal involvements in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season.
This should be a straightforward assignment on matchday one for the South Americans. Colombia’s attacking quality will make them hard to oppose, and we can see them winning by at least a two-goal margin in Mexico City.
|
Pick
Colombia (-250)
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