The knockout stages of the Copa America will take place this weekend, and Colombia will be without its best players.
Juventus midfielder Juan Cuadrado, the most prominent player in the group stage for Colombia, will miss the quarterfinal matchup against Uruguay due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
The 33-year-old has been on the pitch for 100-percent of Colombia’s minutes at the South American tournament. Nonetheless, he’ll be with his teammates in spirit for this important matchup, as stated in a post on Instagram.
“I will not be able to be in the next game, but I trust my teammates and what God can do. I will still rejoice in the Lord! I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength!” Cuadrado wrote.
Despite not scoring a goal and having one assist in these four games, he’s averaging three key passes per game.
Cuadrado influences the play even though he’s not making the last pass or finishing it off with a goal. So Colombia will need to see who will step up for at least one game as they attempt to replace what the Juventus midfielder brings to the table.
Uruguay struggled to score goals in the group stage, so that will be one positive that Los Cafeteleros could see as a positive heading into the matchup without their star.