Rodriguez eyes upset against Argentina

James Rodriguez is confident Colombia can put the disappointment of losing Edwin Valencia behind them and cause Argentina problems in their Copa America quarter-final.

Valencia suffered a serious knee injury midway through the first half of Colombia’s goalless draw with Peru on Sunday.

The midfielder is expected to face a lengthy lay-off, with the Colombian Football Federation wishing him a “speedy recovery” from their official Twitter account on Monday.

Yet Colombia must now re-focus on facing Lionel Messi and Co on Friday – and Real Madrid star Rodriguez is confident his country can cause an upset.

“Everyone knows that they [Argentina] have good players, but Colombia intends to play,” he said.

“I never want to play bad but sometimes it’s not how you want. Friday is a great match to try and make things better.

“We always want to win. There are still four more days to talk, but there are always things that can be improved.

“Messi is in another world – he is a unique player. [But] Colombia can play against a tough team.”