Hello everyone! Welcome to the live broadcast of Colombia vs Argentina, matchday 8 of the CONMEBOL Qualifiers.
My name is Gianluca Pantano and I will be hosting the match. We will provide you with pre-match analysis, score updates and live news here on VAVEL.
The match between Colombia vs Argentina for the eighth date of the CONMEBOL Qualifiers will take place at the Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla. It was inaugurated on May 11, 1986, replacing the Municipal Stadium as the main venue for soccer practice and as the home of Junior de Barranquilla in local soccer, while it is the home of the Colombian National Team in qualifying matches. It has a maximum capacity of up to 49 thousand spectators in the “Cafetera” matches, but when the local tournament is played it is 46,692 in total.
These two teams met 41 times over the years between Copa América, South American Qualifiers and Copa América matches. Of the total, Argentina won 21 times, Colombia won only nine times and they drew the remaining ten. The last time they met was on July 14 of this year, in the final of the Copa América in Team USA. The “Albiceleste” won 1-0 with a goal by Lautaro Martínez in the 22nd minute of extra time.
The “Cafetera” is undefeated in the qualifiers after earning a point against Peru at the end of the match on matchday 7 and with the thorn in their side after losing the final of the Copa América against Argentina in July. However, the team coached by Néstor Lorenzo showed a very high level and, out of the last 30 matches, they only lost one, so that blow in that match did not mean the end of anything. Against the “Bicolor” they were outplayed, they suffered the first goal, but in the end Luis Díaz appeared to give them that final tie that not only meant another match without losing, but also - little by little - to climb up the table. With 13 points, Colombia is third in the table, one unit behind Uruguay, the second, and five behind Argentina, the leader.
For its part, the “Albiceleste” comes to this match in high spirits after defeating Chile in the previous date of the CONMEBOL Qualifiers, which keeps it as the sole leader of the general table with 18 points out of a possible 21, four units behind Uruguay, the second. In addition, they have also been crowned twice champions of the Americas at the Copa América 2024. However, they will be without their two main players: Lionel Messi, who is still recovering from the injury he suffered in the final against Colombia, and Ángel Di María, who retired from the Argentine National Team. With these absences, Lionel Scaloni was able to shape his team in the previous match and now, against a better opponent, he will try to maintain his performance.
Luis Díaz, the scorer of the goal that allowed them to rescue a point against Peru and a fundamental piece of this reconstruction of Néstor Lorenzo, will look to be the main weapon against the two-time champion of America. The 27-year-old winger did not have a dazzling performance in the final of the Copa América, but he had performed well in the previous stages. In total he scored two goals in six matches. After that final, he started the preseason with Liverpool and scored a brace against Sevilla. This good run of form continued in the Premier League 24/25 as, in three games played, he has already scored three goals and assisted one.
Paulo Dybala, who wore the number “10” in the absence of Lionel Messi and scored one of the three goals against Chile, will try to repeat his great performance and justify the number he wears on his back on the pitch. The Roma striker entered the call-up at the end, but Lionel Scaloni, with his presence on the substitutes' bench, did not hesitate to put him on the field to settle the match against the “Roja”. The 30-year-old player from Córdoba was close to leaving for Saudi Arabia, but at the last minute he decided to stay and started the season with the Italian team. Although he had no direct participation in goals in the three matches played in Serie A, in the preseason he scored two goals and gave an assist in five appearances.
The Colombia vs Argentina match will not be broadcasted live on TV. If you want to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option.
Here are the schedules of the different countries where the match will be played: Argentina: 5:30 p.m. Bolivia: 4:30 p.m. Brazil: 5:30 p.m. Chile: 3:30 p.m. Colombia: 3:30 p.m. Ecuador: 3:30 p.m. USA (ET): 4:30 p.m. Spain: 10:30 p.m. Mexico: 3:30 p.m. Paraguay: 4:30 p.m. Peru: 3:30 p.m. Uruguay: 5:30 p.m. Venezuela: 4:30 p.m.
We will soon share with you the starting lineups for Colombia vs Argentina live, as well as the latest information from the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez in Barranquilla. Don't miss a single detail of the live match updates and commentary from VAVEL's coverage.
Lionel Scaloni said: “The team is fine, recovering a little bit of strength, still with some typical aches and pains. Nico Gonzalez trained today on a different level, Alexis Mac Allister trained with us. We will see how they evolve, it is not that we did such a demanding training to decide how we are going to play. Generally speaking, we are fine. We may make some changes, we don't know how many, we still have a day to go”.
Néstor Lorenzo said: “It is not a revenge, they are different moments. The absence of Messi gives us peace of mind. With Messi on the field, it is very difficult to mark him, he defines a match with only two meters of space. To beat Argentina you have to play very well”.
[Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Carlos Cuesta, Jhon Lucumi, Johan Mojica; Richard Ríos, Jefferson Lerma, Jhon Arias; Luis Sinisterra, Jhon Córdoba, Luis Díaz
Argentina: Emiliano Martínez; Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo De Pual, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Nicolás González; Lautaro Martínez y Julián Álvarez.](https://bolavip.com/en/soccer/colombia-vs-argentina-lineups-for-matchday-8-of-south-american-2026-world-cup-qualifiers)
