Messi’s Argentina recover four key players ahead of clash vs Colombia in the World Cup Qualifiers

Argentina defeated Chile last Thursday in Santiago and secured first place in the South American standings for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. On Tuesday, they will play at home against Colombia, and for that match, Lionel Messi will be joined by four key players who were unavailable for the previous game.

Nicolas Otamendi, Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes, and Nicolas Gonzalez were not eligible for selection by head coach Lionel Scaloni in the match against Chile due to suspensions. The first three had reached the yellow card limit during the previous fixture against Brazil and were required to serve a one-match ban, while Gonzalez had been handed a two-game suspension for his red card against Uruguay.

These returns will give Scaloni more options as he sets up the squad, leaving behind the challenges he faced ahead of the Santiago match. In addition to the four players who served their suspensions, Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez are in better physical condition and could have a greater role.

Messi started on the bench against Chile and came on in the 57th minute to replace Nicolas Paz. Martinez, on the other hand, remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes. That was due to the heavy workload the striker had after playing with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain just a few days earlier, in addition to the long trip from Europe.

Nicolas Otamendi will be elegible for Argentina’s game vs Colombia

Scaloni must solve a new problem

Despite the positive news of having Otamendi, Fernandez, Paredes, and Gonzalez back, the Argentine head coach will still have to find a replacement for Nicolas Tagliafico. The Olympique Lyonnais player picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Chile and will have to serve a one-match suspension.

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In the past, whenever Tagliafico was unavailable, his position was filled by Marcos Acuña. But more recently, the 33-year-old River Plate defender has fallen out of favor with Scaloni, who has been leaning toward younger players as he prepares the squad for the next World Cup.

Given this situation, the left-back position seems to have two potential options for Tuesday’s match against Colombia. One is Facundo Medina, who has already appeared in qualifiers this year, though he is naturally a center-back rather than a full-back. The other alternative is Valentin Barco, who has the advantage of playing that role regularly but has only featured in a friendly for Argentina and lacks experience at this level.

Argentina win South American qualifiers

Although Argentina had already secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup back in March, before facing Brazil, they still had one goal left: to finish first in the standings. That goal was achieved with the win over Chile.

With 34 points, the reigning world champions now hold a 10-point lead over Ecuador and Paraguay, who are tied for second, with only 9 points remaining in play. This marks the fourth time Argentina have won the World Cup Qualifiers since this format was introduced in 1995. The previous occasions were ahead of the 1998, 2002, and 2014 World Cups.