Argentina landed in Barranquilla for the duel against Colombia and received a warm welcome in carnival style (video)

The Argentine team faces the hours before the match against Colombiafor matchday 8 of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

After the surprising last minute withdrawal of Juan Musso (back pain), Scaloni’s team arrived last night at Barranquillato acclimatize to an already hot environment, which will be even more intense at the time of the match, scheduled for this Tuesday at 3:30 in the afternoon.

Far from any kind of aggression or hostile climate, the team was very well received and was imbued with the affection and admiration of the Colombian fans who approached the team to begin to experience the match. As often happens in other parts of the planet – although not so much in South America– There were local supporters wearing light blue and white shirts, Argentine club T-shirts and even replicas of the World Cup.

At the hotel door, the hosts applauded the champion team in Qatar 2022 and two-time champion of America. The most lively? The Drawn by Martinez, Despite what happened in the 2021 Copa América, during the penalty shootout against Colombia and that provocative phrase Yerry Mina: “Watch how I eat you, brother,” was the most applauded and requested.

This afternoon, Lionel Scaloni He will conduct a training session to finalize details, but also to help the players’ bodies adapt to the always hot weather. BarranquillaThe coach questioned the schedule, considering that it is something that will affect both teams equally and perhaps influence the quality of the spectacle. “We will go to a place where it is very hot and we will play at a time that we shouldn’t, but that is what they decided,” commented the Argentine coach.

Talking about revenge for being the first time that the two protagonists of the final of the America’s Cup The match played in June and July in the United States borders on the absurd. There will be no trophy at stake here, and there was no tension between the players of both teams to be on alert for possible tension (as could happen in November, when the Colombian team visits Uruguay after the scandal that arose after the semifinal match of that continental tournament).

What will be exposed Colombia is their unbeaten record in these Qualifiers. In fact, those led by Nestor Lorenzo They are the only team that has not lost so far in the competition. Of the seven games played so far, the Colombian team has won three and drawn four, which allowed them to collect 13 of the 21 points at stake. The high point was the victory over Brazil by 2 to 1, with two goals from the always dangerous Luis Díaz.

Anyway, the Argentina You already know what it’s like to break streaks Colombia. In fact, in the final of America, the 1-0 win over the Albiceleste in extra time, with that great goal by Lautaro Martinez, put an end to 28 games without losing, which became the best record in its history. Curiously, that series had begun after a 1-0 defeat in Cordova against Argentina and for the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, with a goal from… Lautaro Martinez.

In relation to the match itself, Scaloni’s main concern is the progress of two men who ended up with discomfort after the 3-0 thrashing of Chile: Nicolás González (hit on the heel) and Alexis MacAllister (adductor discomfort).

“The team is doing well, regaining strength from the game the other day
. Nico He trained differently, Alexis He did it with us. We didn’t have a very demanding training session either. We’ll see how things evolve over the next few days to see how we’re going to play,” was the only thing the coach said at the press conference before the flight.

Given this uncertain outlook regarding the ownership of both players, Scaloni is evaluating options for the match against Colombia on Tuesday. For now, it has been revealed that Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso will fight hand to hand for a place in the midfield, while Paulo Dybala (who came on in the final minutes against Chile wearing the number 10 shirt and sealed the 3-0 with a beautiful left-footed shot) could be from the start as an alternative midfielder forward.

The Argentina comfortably leads the standings of some eliminatory which qualifies the top six teams directly for the next World Cup, while the team that finishes seventh will play a play-off in search of the seventh place for the subcontinent.

With 18 points out of a possible 21 and a goal difference of +9 (11 goals for and only two against), it is practically impossible for the reigning world champion not to defend its crown in the tournament that will be jointly organized by the United States, Mexico and Canada in two years.

The Argentine team faces the hours before the match against Colombiafor the date 8 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

After the surprise last-minute withdrawal of Juan Musso (back pain), Scaloni’s team arrived in Barranquilla last night to acclimatize to an already hot environment, which will be even more intense at the time of the match, scheduled for this Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. in our country).

SPORTS

With information from La Nación (GDA).