Colombia facing off against England in the knockout stages means that Sanchez is likely to have the chance to come up against various of his Tottenham teammates, with the likes of Dele Alli, Danny Rose, Eric Dier and Kieran Trippier all in contention to play, however the main threat for 'Los Cafeteros' is clearly danger man Harry Kane.
As a centre-back, Sanchez is likely to have the undesirable task of shackling the striker, and when asked about this battle in the lead up to the game, he said he would have to forget about the pair's friendship from club football.
“Harry is a compañero, a mate,” Sanchez said, as reported by 'The Guardian'. “I haven’t spoken with him, although we’ve got a WhatsApp group there [Tottenham] and we say congratulations to each other when we score or when we win. I’m happy for Harry because he’s in a great moment but if I play against him, I’ll try to stop him."
Colombia topped their group, meaning they would face the winner of England's clash with Belgium, and Sanchez said he is happy with the outcome. “Who we faced was not in my hands and I’ve also got Belgian teammates at Tottenham," he explained. "But obviously being more familiar with the Premier League, I’m going to prefer England as opposition. Can we beat them? Anything is possible.”
“We’re a team with a lot of character,” Sanchez continued, reflecting on his own team. “We’ve always known if we play to our potential, we can be a Colombia team that can take on anybody. It always gives you confidence to get a result like the one against Senegal, when you get that momentum and, obviously, anything from here on in is a triumph."
“We are in a tough profession. It is a job that has big challenges and the slightest problem can expose us. The staff and players try to enjoy it and work with responsibility. But most of us understand that football bears fruit when you do it with passion and love. Our entire country celebrate every goal as if it’s our last.”