Colombia are set to take on Argentina in the latest round of South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 10 September at the Estadio Metropolitano and will see first take on third in the current standings.
Colombia were held to a shock 1-1 draw with Peru on Saturday morning while it was business as usual for Argentina as they defeated Chile 3-0 despite playing without Lionel Messi.
How the bookies view it: Too close to call
This is a match that the bookmakers have well and truly sat on the fence for with Colombia and Argentina both priced the same as each other. Betfred have priced a win for either side at 13/8 while the draw has been priced at 15/8. A big reason for the close odds will be the fact that this is a repeat of the Copa America final which finished 0-0 after 90 minutes.
Recent head-to-head: Draws galore
These two teams have been hard to separate in recent times which only justifies the close odds further. Four of the last six matches between Colombia and Argentina have finished all square after 90 minutes so 15/8 for another draw on Tuesday is far from a bad price.
The most recent clash was two months ago at the Copa America. After a goalless 90 minutes, Argentina went on to win the match and the Copa thanks to an extra-time strike from Lautaro Martinez.
Players to watch: A game of electric forwards
Although the most recent encounter between these two nations finished goalless after 90 minutes, this is a match that contains some of the world's most exciting forwards even in the absence of Lionel Messi.
Argentina lined up with a 3-5-2 system in their win over Chile, a system that allowed them to play Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez together up front. With Messi still absent, they will almost certainly play the same system again which could spell danger for Colombia.
Alvarez scored the second against Chile on Friday while Martinez famously scored the winner against Colombia in the Copa America final last month.
Argentina's deadly duo aren't the only exciting forwards that will take to the pitch on Tuesday night. Luis Diaz has started the new season like a house on fire for Liverpool, scoring three goals in their first three matches and he got on the scoresheet for Colombia against Peru on Saturday.
Predicted line-ups
Neither side picked up any injuries or suspensions in their matches over the weekend so two unchanged starting XI's could easily line up on Tuesday night. Colombia are perhaps more likely to make changes due to their shoddy performance with Jhon Duran and James Rodriguez both likely options to come into the team.
Colombia: Vargas – Munoz, Lucumi, Mina, Mojica – Rios, Lerma, Arias – Rodriguez, Diaz, Duran
Argentina: E.Martinez – Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Li.Martinez, Gonzalez – Fernadnez, De Paul, Mac Allister – La.Martinez, Alvarez
Anything else catch the eye?
Despite being blessed with attacking talent, Colombia's recent matches have been a bit of a slog and they are unlikely to come out and play all-out attacking football against the world champions. Four of their last five matches have produced fewer than three goals and under 2.5 goals has been priced at 1/2 with Betfred.
This World Cup match between Colombia and Argentina will be played on Sep 10, 2024 and kick off at 21:30. Check below for our tipsters best Colombia vs Argentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
