Overview
Lionel Messi is expected to return to the starting lineup of Argentina when the reigning World Cup champions host Colombia at home.
Argentina is leading the South American qualifying rankings and is sure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. They are 10 points ahead of the team behind with just three games left.
Therefore, coach Lionel Scaloni can rotate the squad if he wants to give the key players a break. However, Scaloni will not change too much because cohesion is extremely important.
Meanwhile, Colombia is really at risk of missing the 2026 World Cup, something that seemed unimaginable just a year ago.
Los Cafeteros will participate in Copa America 2024 as one of the strongest teams in South America and reach the final. They only suffered a narrow loss to Argentina.
Since then, Colombia has been in a sluggish decline, winning only 2 out of 9 qualifiers and dropping to 6th place in the rankings. The top 6 teams will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the seventh place will have to play an intercontinental play-off.
Argentina and Colombia have faced each other 41 times, in which Argentina has a clear advantage. Argentina won 23 matches, Colombia won 10 matches and 8 matches ended in a draw.
Personnel situation
Argentina lacked midfield in the recent win over Chile. Players such as Enzo Fernandez, Lo Celso and Leandro Paredes are all not in the squad. All three players are expected to be fit to play against Colombia.
Meanwhile, Messi, who came off the bench against Chile, is likely to start. Nicolas Tagliafico is suspended after accumulating enough yellow cards. This means facundo Medina or Valentin Barco could be on the pitch.
On the other side of the front line, Nestor Lorenzo said after the draw with Peru that striker Jhon Duran is struggling with a back injury and is uncertain to play.
However, Luis Diaz will give Colombia a much-needed boost when he returns from suspension.
Expected lineup:
Argentina: E. Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Medina, De Paul, E. Fernandez, Paredes, Messi, L. Martinez, Alvarez.
Colombia: Mier, Munoz, Mina, D. Sanchez, Machado, Lerma, Rios, Arias, J. Rodriguez, J. Hernandez, Diaz.
The match between Argentina and Colombia takes place at 7:00 a.m. on June 11 (Vietnam time).
