The reigning kings of South America are Chile, so crowned after their triumph in the Copa America this past summer. Of course, they now have to go out and re-earn their plaudits in World Cup qualifying, though they’ve made a good start of it so far -- two wins in two matches, including a 2-0 humbling of Brazil in a match that they controlled from first whistle to last. Now they’re getting a visit from Colombia, and this could prove to be a very stern test of Chile’s sky-high confidence.
Chile vs. Colombia 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch World Cup qualifying online
The defending Copa America champs square off with a side struggling to live up to its potential in CONMEBOL qualifying.
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Colombia are an incredibly talented team with a gorgeous blend of experience and quality youth, and it’s packed with incredibly athletic players from top to bottom. Despite that, though, they’ve often struggled to live up to their capability -- they had a middling run in the World Cup, and mostly looked flat in the Copa America before going out in the quarterfinals.
Their smashmouth high-pace style is an interesting contrast and foil to Chile’s wild and unpredictable tactics, though, and that could prove to be the difference in this match. No matter what, this should be a very entertaining game -- Chile are never dull, and when Colombia really turn it on they’re all kinds of fun to watch. Don’t blink, or you could miss a whole lot of action.
Key Chile player -- Edu Vargas
Despite being the top goalscorer in the Copa America, Vargas has struggled to find his scoring form since joining German team Hoffenheim this summer. Vargas has long struggled to replicate the same dominant play he shows at the international level when he plays for his clubs, though, and in this case his struggles can easily be tied to Hoffenheim’s general ineptitude in attack this season -- they’ve scored just 12 goals this season and sit in the Bundesliga relegation zone. Still, Chile need him to be at his best in this match, because Colombia’s defense is a tricky matchup for them.
Key Colombia player -- Jackson Martinez
Speaking of players who have struggled to adapt to new teams, Martinez has scored just three times in 15 games for Atletico Madrid after leaving Porto last summer. He’s looked wildly out of sorts for most of his time in La Liga, but with Chile’s defense tending to err towards relying on smaller, more technical defenders, Colombia need his strength and athleticism up top. If he’s on form in this match, he can single handedly dominate Chile’s defense, but if he’s not, Colombia could struggle to break that tricky unit down.
Match date/time: Thurs., 6:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago de Chile, Chile
TV: beIN Sports en Español (US - Spanish), Mega, Fox Sports Chile (Chile), Caracol TV (Colombia), GolTV Sudamerica
Online: Fubo TV, beIN Sports Connect (US)
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