James out as Southgate makes nine changes
Colombia will have to take on England without star midfielder James Rodriguez with the Bayern Munich man not even fit enough for the bench.
Published : Jul 03, 2018 22:58 IST
James Rodriguez has been ruled out of Colombia's World Cup last-16 tie against England after failing to shake off a calf problem.
The 2014 Golden Boot winner, on a two-season loan at Bayern Munich from Real Madrid, sustained the injury against Senegal in Colombia's final group game on Thursday and is not even fit enough for a place on the bench.
England made nine changes to the side that lost 1-0 to Belgium in its last outing with only goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and centre-half John Stones retained from that top-spot decider.
It is, however, the team that manager Gareth Southgate used for the tournament opener against Tunisia.