This is the first time these two nations meet in a Copa America final. Argentina is making their 30th appearance in the final, while Colombia is preparing for only their third. Argentina reached the final by defeating Ecuador in a tense penalty shootout in the quarter-finals and securing a 2-0 win against Canada in the semi-finals.
This victory extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches. Lionel Messi scored his 109th international goal in this match, making him the second-highest male goalscorer in international football history.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni emphasized the challenging journey Argentina faced to reach the final, praising his team for overcoming tough obstacles. Ranked first in the world by FIFA, Argentina has enjoyed significant success in the United States, having not lost a major tournament knockout match on American soil since the 1994 World Cup.
A win in the final would give Argentina an outright record of 16 Copa America titles. The match will also mark Angel Di Maria's last appearance for the national team, while Messi plans to continue playing beyond this tournament. Argentina has a strong record against Colombia, winning 26 of their 43 previous encounters, including a penalty shootout victory in the 2021 Copa America semi-finals.
Colombia, however, is in excellent form. Since losing to Argentina in World Cup qualifying in February 2022, they have gone 28 matches unbeaten, setting a new national record. In the semi-finals, they secured a 1-0 victory over Uruguay despite being reduced to 10 men. Jefferson Lerma scored the decisive goal before halftime, and Colombia held on to win despite Daniel Munoz's red card.
Colombia's coach, Nestor Lorenzo, who is unbeaten since taking over in July 2022, praised his team's bravery in their win over Uruguay. Ranked 12th by FIFA, Colombia has reached the Copa America final four in three of the last four tournaments but has not reached the final since winning their only title in 2001.
Despite their impressive run, Colombia enters the final as underdogs, having only beaten Argentina three times in 21 meetings this century. Their most recent victory was a 2-0 win in the group stage of the 2019 Copa America.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Argentina have a clean bill of health and no suspensions, so coach Lionel Scaloni is likely to stick with the same starting lineup for the final. The defense will feature Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Nicolas Tagliafico.In midfield, Giovani Lo Celso and Exequiel Palacios are pushing for a start, but Enzo Fernandez and Rodrigo De Paul are expected to keep their places. Angel Di Maria will take his final bow on the international stage, playing on the right wing.
Lionel Messi, who played the full 90 minutes against Canada despite a leg injury, will lead the attack alongside Julian Alvarez. This means that Lautaro Martinez, who is chasing the Golden Boot with four goals, will likely start on the bench again.
For Colombia, Daniel Munoz is suspended after his red card in the semi-finals. Santiago Arias, with 58 caps, is set to replace him at right-back, joining Davinson Sanchez, Carlos Cuesta, and Johan Mojica in defense.
Captain James Rodriguez, who has notched a record six assists in this Copa America, will continue in the number 10 role. Luis Diaz from Liverpool and Jhon Arias from Fluminense will play on the wings.
Jhon Cordoba, who has started the last four matches and contributed two goals and two assists, is expected to lead the attack again, ahead of Aston Villa's Jhon Duran and former Eintracht Frankfurt player Rafael Santos Borre.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Argentina possible starting lineup:E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico; Di Maria, De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez
Colombia possible starting lineup:
Vargas; S. Arias, Sanchez, Cuesta, Mojica; Rios, Lerma; J. Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Cordoba
EXPERT PREDICTION
Argentina 2-1 Colombia
Argentina supporters will be happy to hear that Opta's supercomputer has given Scaloni's team a 62.9% chance of retaining their Copa America title this weekend. However, beating a resilient Colombia side, unbeaten in over two years, won't be easy.
That said, the reigning champions have plenty of big-game experience and should come out on top, especially if they can neutralize the in-form James Rodriguez and rely on their own star, Messi, to shine in the final.
