Argentina have been one of the worst teams in the CONMEBOL 2018 World Cup qualifiers, lying on the second-last position on the standings table. They are yet to register their first victory in the qualifying campaign after having lost one and drawn two matches. Argentina will be keen to correct their qualifiers' record when they face Colombia in Barranquilla on Tuesday.
Colombia have also been below par in the competition, having won one, lost one and drawn one in the qualifiers so far. So, both teams are going to be desperate when they set their foot on the pitch in Barranquilla, where Colombia are going to be well supported by home fans.
Though fans may act as the 12th man for the highly anticipated game, the Colombia players need to get their things right if they want to defeat Argentina, who will be keen to climb the standings table.
Despite Argentina's winless record so far in the competition, they should be relatively confident after the draw against Brazil in their last fixture. It will not be wrong to state that Argentine players were unlucky not to walk away with three points as they played a good game against Brazil.
Argentine coach Gerardo Martino knows they needed to be prepared for an attacking style of play, which Colombia shall bring to the table on Tuesday.
"Colombia away is not going to be same game as Brazil. We will try to take control of the game but I believe we will face a team that is going to attack more," Martino told reporters. "In the dressing room, the boys know what kind of game they played [against Brazil]. We did not get the result we deserved. We know the path we are looking for and the table does not change our view."
Argentina are still going to miss the services of their best player, Lionel Messi, and other stars such as Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez.
But, the visitors have received some good piece of news, with former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, who sustained a foot injury against Brazil, slated to feature against Colombia. The striker needs to be on top of his game to help Argentina secure their first three points of the qualifying campaign.
Colombia, who have scored only three goals in the qualifiers so far, will depend on their key player, James Rodriguez. The Colombian star missed their first two games due to injury, but is expected to start against Argentina after scoring against Chile in their last fixture.
Where to watch live
Colombia vs Argentina live World Cup qualifier is scheduled for a 3:30 pm local time (2 am IST, 8:30 am GMT, 3:30 am ET) start. There is no live TV coverage in India.
Viewers in Canada, the US, Middle East and North Africa can watch the Colombia vs Argentina live World Cup qualifier live on Bein Sports, with the live stream option on Bein Sports Connect.
