World Cup preview: Colombia v Japan, Poland v Senegal, Russia v Egypt
As the dust settles on the manic celebrations or commiserations that follow England’s opening match against Tunisia, Tuesday brings the final first round matches along with the hosts’ second match.
1300 BST – Colombia v Japan (BBC) (Group H)
1600 BST – Poland v Senegal (BBC) (Group H)
1900 BST – Russia v Egypt (BBC) (Group A)
The first match of Group H sees Colombia, touted once again as dark horses, facing up against Japan.
James Rodriguez, golden boot winner in Brazil four years ago, will likely feature alongside Radamel Falcao, who fans will remember from his less than stellar spells in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea.
However, having netted over 40 goals in the last two seasons at Monaco, it’s safe to say Falcao is back to his imposing best.
Japan start the tournament having parted ways with coach Vahid Halilhodzic in April, replacing him with native veteran Akira Nishino after the former manager's rigid play style garnered considerable criticism.
The team’s main stars are possibly drifting a little past their best but fans in the land of the rising sun will be looking to the likes of Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaka to play the swift and attacking football that Nishino’s Gamba Osaka team became so renowned for in the J-League.
Poland and Senegal are next up, and you cannot mention the Polish side without bringing up the simply lethal Robert Lewandowski, who scored 16 goals on the road to the tournament, a record in European qualification.
The Polish defence is extremely leaky however, with coach Adam Nawalka’s tactics best described as “lets score more than we concede”.
Senegal, similarly to their opponents, have an attacking talisman in Liverpool’s Sadio Mané, who is backed up by a strong and reliable looking spine comprised of Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye, West Ham’s Cheikhou Kouyaté and Napoli centre back Kalidou Koulibaly.
The team is managed by former Senegal captain Aliou Cissé, a divisive figure who has guided the nation back to the tournament after a 12 year absence but suffered negative press due to a conservative management style.
Russia, mightily impressive in their opening fixture against an awful Saudi Arabia side, are also back in action against Egypt.
The confident and assured looking Denis Cheryshev may be more likely to start after scoring two goals from the bench and Russia’s questionable defence may finally face a test or two against The Pharaohs.
Héctor Cúper's side will see this match as a must-win after their heartbreaking last-minute defeat at the hands of Uruguay last week, in a game during which both teams failed to impress.
The question on everyone’s lips is whether Mohammed Salah will finally feature for a team that looked in dire need of a player with a killer instinct.