The two sides go into the glamour clash of the group on the back of hugely contrasting results against Peru.
Neymar and Co. ensured the Selecao swept aside Los Incas 4-0 in their last game, but Colombia were stunned as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat to the same opposition.
As a result, Brazil will finish top of Group B should they win against Colombia and Peru fail to beat Ecuador.
That will secure a quarter-final with the fourth-placed side in Group A, but it may not mean a routine last-eight clash, as Uruguay occupy that spot as it stands.
A win will secure Colombia’s place in the quarters, though a draw could be enough if Ecuador lose to Peru in the earlier game.
The omens are not good for Colombia heading into the match in Rio de Janeiro. They are winless in their last four meetings with Selecao, Colombia’s last victory coming in the 2015 Copa America.
Brazil are the top scorers in the tournament, having netted seven goals in their opening two games, but they may look to show greater ruthlessness in front of goal against Colombia.
Their 35 shots have carried an expected goals (xG) value of 8.6 and, with this game likely to be a better barometer of where they stand ahead of the knockout stages, Brazil will be eager to do a better job of taking their chances and send a message to their rivals for the trophy.
Should Colombia seal progression, it will be the fifth successive Copa America in which they have reached the last eight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brazil – Richarlison
The Everton striker may have earned a place in the starting XI with his performance in the thumping of Peru.
Richarlison came on at the start of the second half for Gabriel Barbosa and had four shots, with three on target, scored Brazil’s fourth and created two chances.
Colombia – Edwin Cardona
Though Colombia slumped to a surprise defeat, it was another impressive performance for Cardona against Peru.
He created a match-high three chances, taking his tally for the tournament to seven, and produced two good crosses in a game Colombia lost despite having an xG of 1.5 to Peru’s 0.94.
KEY OPTA FACTS
– Brazil have lost only of their last 19 games against Colombia in all competitions (W11 D7). Their only defeat against them in that run was in Copa America 2015 (1-0).
– Brazil are unbeaten at home since their defeat to the Netherlands in third-place play-off at the 2014 World Cup. Since then, they have played 25 games (W22 D3) and only failed to score in two games.
– Colombia boss Reinaldo Rueda is looking for his first win against Brazil: he has managed two games against them, one as Ecuador manager and another in his previous spell with Colombia (D1 L1). His draw was for Colombia on Brazilian soil in qualification for the 2006 World Cup.
– Brazil have scored more goals (7) and had more shots on target per game (8) than any other team in Copa America 2021, and only Paraguay (16.5) have created more chances per game than the Brazilians (12.5) in the competition. Brazil have score one goal every 26 minutes on average.
– Colombia have made their shots, on average, closer to the target than any other side (13.7 metres): 82.5 per cent of their shots were from inside the box, the highest percentage in Copa America 2021.
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