The 22-year-old centre back will be out to stop his Spurs colleagues Harry Kane and Dele Alli

Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez is ready to go head-to-head with Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Harry Kane tonight to decide who reaches the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

The club colleagues will most likely be directly against each other when England kick-off the last-16 tie against the South Americans at 7pm.

Kane, captain of the Three Lions, has already scored five times in the tournament and Spurs centre back Sanchez knows what to expect from the forward.

After spending the past season together in N17, this evening’s duel will be watched with interest by those associated with Tottenham.

Sanchez, as quoted by FIFA.com at a press conference, said: “He’s one of the best strikers around. We know Harry can make all the difference at the World Cup.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

At just 22, Sanchez is the youngest member of the Colombia squad, but showed his class in the group game wins over Poland and Senegal.

He appeared shaky and nervous in the 2-1 loss to Japan in the opening match of the tournament, but has bounced back well.

Tonight will see his talent tested to the max by Kane, who is now firmly reknown as a world class operator.

Sanchez doesn’t fear the challenge though, adding: “We’re going to give it our all, we’ve got to stay alive in the competition.”

Tottenham team-mate Kane praised the quality of the Colombian, but admitted once the first whistle is blown friendship goes out of the window.

“He’s been an important player for us at Spurs,” said the England frontman. “He’s a great guy, but once we’re out there I’m sure we’ll start battling it out with each other.”

Another player Sanchez will be familiar with is Dele Alli and he is set to return to the starting XI after missing the Panama and Belgium games with a thigh injury.

Kieran Trippier should also start while Eric Dier and Danny Rose will have to settle for a place on the bench despite featuring in the defeat to the Red Devils on June 28.

Tottenham playmaker Alli is the member of the Three Lions team, behind Kane, who will most likely go directly up against Sanchez.

He hailed the potential of his fellow 22-year-old, but will be aiming to get one over him this evening to see England through to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

“Davinson’s a fantastic player, a big threat, and we have to be ready to face him,” said Alli, when previewing the last-16 tie with Colombia.

“We know how he plays, we know his strong points, and we’ll be looking to exploit the few weaknesses that he has.”