Colombia defender Mario Yepes has revealed that his team should respect Uruguay ahead of their last-16 clash.

The two sides are due to square up this weekend, with the Colombian international stating that they will treat their opponents with the same intent as those who featured in their group.

"I believe that Uruguay are a difficult opponent and should be respected as we did with our group rivals," Yepes told the press in Brazil.

"It is a team that has more history than us, but we must prepare ourselves to face them in a good way because here there is no turning back."

The sides' last-16 match gets underway at 9pm at the Estadio Maracana on Saturday.