Jose Pekerman's Colombia travel to Bahrain in the hope of impressing ahead of the Copa America in Chile this summer.
Tricolor have impressed ever since their brilliant World Cup run in Brazil last year, following up their quarter-final exit with 4 wins in 4 international friendlies.
But while Pekerman's side haven't played since November, where they beat Slovenia and the United States, Bahrain have gone out of the Asia Cup at the group stage, and are now on the cool down from the 2 losses and 1 win in the tournament.
Colombia are seen as one of the leading contenders for the Copa America this summer given the large attacking talents at Pekerman's disposal in James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao and more.
Yet James Rodriguez will miss out on Colombia's final preparations for the tournament in Chile, having suffered a broken metatarsal last month.
Borussia Dortmund striker, Adrian Ramos, joins Radamel Falcao having been selected for the World Cup last summer. The 29-year-old said "Making the selection is motivating. Being here motivates you and it makes you better prepared, with commitments such as the Copa America to come."
Meanwhile, his fellow striker Falcao told media that he was delighted to be in Bahrain, "I did not know anything about Bahrain before coming here. So I browsed through the Internet and read about this small country to understand their cultural and civilization. I find Bahrain very beautiful and I am very glad to be here,"
The Manchester United striker added, 'This match will be good preparation for our team which is getting ready for the upcoming Copa America 2015. We are looking forward to playing a good match,'
COLOMBIA SQUAD
Goalkeepers
D. Ospina, Camilo Vargas
Defenders
É. Álvarez, D. Andrade, S. Arias, P. Armero, D. Bocanegra, P. Franco, J. Mojica, J. Murillo
Midfielders
A. Aguilar, W. Barrios, E. Cardona, J. Cuadrado, F. Guarín, A. Mejía, J. Quintero, C. Sánchez
Attackers
C. Bacca, R. Borré, R. Falcao, T. Gutiérrez, A. Ramos, A. Rentería
BAHRAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers
Sayed Jaafar, Hamad Al Doseri, Ashraf Al Sebaie
Defenders
Faouzi Aaish, Waleed Al Hayam, Abdulla Al Hazaa, Rashed Al Hooti, Mohamed Husain, Abdulla Omar, Abdulla Shallal
Midfielders
Sayed Ahmed, Sayed Dhiya, Abdulwahab Ali, Abdulwahab Al Malood, Mohamed Duaij, Husain Ali Baba, Abdulla Abdo
Attackers
Abdulla Yousif Abdulrahim, Jaycee Okwunwanne, Mohammed Al Alawi, Sami Al Husaini, Faisal Bodahoom, Ismaeel Abdulatif
| Last | 6 | Bahrain | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 1-2 | Bahrain | 19/01/15 |
| Bahrain | 1-2 | UAE | 15/01/15 |
| Iran | 2-0 | Bahrain | 11/01/15 |
| Bahrain | 1-0 | Jordan | 04/01/15 |
| Bahrain | 4-1 | Saudi Arabia | 30/12/14 |
| Last | 6 | Colombia | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 0-1 | Colombia | 18/11/14 |
| United States | 1-2 | Colombia | 14/1114 |
| Canada | 0-1 | Colombia | 15/10/14 |
| Colombia | 3-0 | El Salvador | 11/10/14 |
| Brazil | 1-0 | Colombia | 06/09/14 |
With just two games until the first Copa America game against Venezuela in June, Colombia need to make their mark in 2015 against Marjan Eid's side.
The first of the two at the Stad al-Bahrayn al-Watani on Thursday should be a comfortable win for Pekerman's side. Los Cafeteros have shipped just two goals in their 5 games since their World Cup exit, with one coming in their only loss, to Brazil. Bahrain exited the World Cup on a high with a 2-1 win over 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.
Colombia need to show the rest of the Americas that they can continue their blistering 2014 form this year, and that their lethal strike force that saw James Rodriguez earn the golden boot at the World Cup can still produce the goods. Given the quality of the stars that will be on display on Thursday, they should dispatch of Bahrain with ease.