Although the classic of the Chilean team is Peru, due to the political and cultural background, the duels against Colombia have acquired special tones, since they are rivals in the Copa América and the qualifiers.
This Tuesday, September 12, there will be a new edition of this meeting, when the terrible conditions of the field of the Monumental stadium will welcome the two countries for the 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The press ‘picks’ the game
The meeting itself was relevant, but the press raised the level of anticipation with a note in which they referred to a Colombian soccer player, whom they called “the most hated in South America.”
And the media remembered what happened four years ago, in the 2019 Copa América, when the Australs eliminated the coffee growers in the quarterfinals from the penalty spot.
“In the penalty shootout, the defender must take the fourth shot. After standing in front of Gabriel Arias, he got it right, giving way to his unique way of celebrating, which included a dance and the display of his shin guards, with pictures of his relatives, to the cameras. An excess for a moment in which the procedure is usually completed, preferably successfully, and reunited with colleagues, unless, of course, it is the last and decisive shot,” the media recalled.
And they pointed out that the most angry in Mina was Gary Medel, who insulted the Guachené defender in every possible way, accompanied by Erick Pulgar and Eduardo Vargas.
“It was a bit annoying how he celebrated. It is within football that you can celebrate whatever you want, but you have to be involved in this and not involved in their game,” said Medel in that situation.
Although not all Chileans are against Mina, because Arturo Vidal has promoted the defender man, ever since he met him in Barcelona.
“I don’t think he did it with bad intentions. I know him, we were in Barcelona for a couple of weeks and he is a nice person, very happy,” said Vidal, current player of Athletico Paranaense, from Brazil.
Mina will not be a starter
Although Yerry Mina is the focus of the Chilean media, the 28-year-old Caucasian defender may leave the starting lineup, despite the fact that he played an excellent role in the 1-0 victory against Venezuela.
Another variant of the starter is the replacement of Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, who has tendinitis. Jorge Carrascal is the most likely to be the team’s first baseman in coffee.
Colombia’s anger at the state of the field
One of the points to be paid attention to in this meeting is the condition of the grass at the Monumental David Arellano stadium in Santiago, which was destroyed after a concert.
The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) will present a complaint to the entities regarding the conditions of the match.
“This is not only for our players, but also for them, in the end here we are concerned about the integrity of all the players, and our Federation has already spoken to FIFA and Conmebol expressing their concern. After that, we no longer decide, we will try to adjust it depending on the condition of the field,” added Perea.
Opponent analysis
Although Chile is a strong team in the history of South America, it is currently experiencing a complicated moment, because it has to turn to veterans like Gary Medel or Arturo Vidal because the change is not even up to par.
“We are waiting for a team that will come out to look at the attack and there we will find many areas. The movements will be the key to seeing the improvement that we had in the game against Venezuela in the second half ,” said the technical assistant about Tuesday’s opponent.
