The Colombian National Team is ready for the challenge of adding six points out of six on this date of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, which already began with euphoria after the 2-1 victory against Brazil.
The new opponent will be Paraguay, this Tuesday (6:00 pm Colombian time), a rival that will try to improve its seventh place in the championship (5 points), measuring a motivated team, which is already third in the standings (9 points).
Néstor Lorenzo’s plan will undergo two mandatory modifications and one additional one, as a personal bet, to take advantage of a long-awaited return.
The mandatory ones go through the defensive zone: Déiver Machado, left back, suffered an untimely injury and Davinson Sánchez accumulated yellow cards. Both were released by the coach to return to their clubs.
This means that the left back will surely be Cristian Borja, who made a great appearance against Brazil and scored an assist. Furthermore, the place in the central defense that the Galatasaray man leaves will be Carlos Cuesta, who knows perfectly well Jhon Lucumí, the other central defender, from both of their days in Genk in Belgium.
Then come the DT bets. The first would be the incursion of Jefferson Lerma, absent in the October doubleheader due to injury but already fully recovered. He would take Uribe’s place, seeking to strengthen the brand alongside Kevin Castaño, considering the defensive difficulty of the homeowner in Asunción.
Finally, Lorenzo would bet on the return of a man who was missed against Brazil: Jhon Arias. He has already paid his penalty (for yellow cards), and will use him since he fulfills his role as a winger or interior, providing sacrifice in marking and passing, which Carrascal, his recent replacement in Barranquilla, lacked.
In this way, this is how Colombia would line up against Paraguay, this Tuesday:
Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Jhon Lucumí, Carlos Cuesta, Cristian Borja; Jefferson Lerma, Kevin Castaño, Jhon Arias; James Rodriguez; Rafael Borré and Luis Díaz.