Colombia and France continue their preparations for the World Cup this summer with a friendly at the Northwest Stadium on Sunday night.
Both sides were on opposite ends of 2-1 scorelines in their last outings, as Colombia lost to Croatia and France beat Brazil with 10 men.
This will be the teams' first meeting since 2018, where Colombia were 3-2 victors in a friendly.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our free expert international friendly predictions!
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Colombia vs. France key stats
- Colombia have scored in seven of their last eight games in all competitions.
- France have won seven of their previous eight matches across all competitions (D1).
- France have also won two of the previous three H2Hs (L1).
Colombia vs France preview: Les Bleus blooming at right time?
| Colombia | vs | France |
|---|---|---|
| 14th | FIFA ranking | 3rd |
| David Ospina (129) | Most caps | Kylian Mbappe (95) |
| James Rodriguez (31) | Most goals | Kylian Mbappe (56) |
| 963 | Total caps | 710 |
| 101 | Total goals | 101 |
| 0 | Uncapped players | 0 |
Colombia have never won the World Cup, but have been regulars at the tournament with a golden generation of players that are albeit ageing.
The likes of former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina and cult hero James Rodriguez remain in the squad but could well play at their last major tournament this summer.
Colombia have won just once in six games against nations ranked above them (D2, L3).
Still, they came through South American qualifying that is always competitive with other established nations like Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Ecuador and rank a respectable 14th in the FIFA rankings.
However, they will be deemed as the underdogs here against a France side bidding to reach their third successive World Cup final.
Indeed, Les Bleus lost out to Lionel Messi's Argentina on penalties in 2022, despite Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time.
France beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 final, and have no problems qualifying for the world's biggest international football competition nowadays after Thierry Henry's controversial handball helped them beat Republic of Ireland to qualifying in 2010.
France have won eight of their last 11 friendlies (D1, L2).
Didier Deschamps's side keep producing waves of talent that have helped them reach the latter stages of major tournaments on regular occasions, and Colombia will find them hard to stop here.
The third-ranked nation in the world recently beat fifth-ranked Brazil despite Dayot Upamecano getting sent off, and will want to further show their credentials here as one of the favourites once again to lift the World Cup trophy.
Colombia vs. France form guide & betting tips
| Colombia | vs | France |
|---|---|---|
| W-D-W-W-L | Form | W-D-W-W-W |
| 10 | Goals For | 14 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 4 |
| W-W-L | Int'l friendly form | W-D-W |
Whispers predicts: Colombia 1-3 France
France are expectedly 7/10 favourites with bookmakers to win, but those odds are too short for us to take.
Instead, we like the BTTS - Yes at 8/11 pick, given it has come through in two of each nation's last three games, including their most recent outing.
Over 3.5 goals at 15/8 also appeals to us, as that has also come through in three of France's previous four matches.
In terms of potential goalscorers, Hugo Ekitike netted against Brazil, and with Mbappe potentially being managed due to ongoing injury problems, the Liverpool forward may get a spell up front.
Hugo Ekitike to score anytime at 11/2 is therefore our last pick as a potential punt.
Overall, we think that France will emerge victorious here, and our 1-3 prediction is available at 12/1 with bookmakers.
> BTTS - Yes at 8/11 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 3.5 goals at 15/8 | Likelihood: Possible
> Hugo Ekitike to score anytime at 11/2 | Likelihood: Outsider