For the first time since a devastating earthquake claimed more than 300 lives and left parts of Cali in ruins, Colombia will play on home soil when they take on Chile.

With more than 30,000 fans expected to pack the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, it promises to be an emotional occasion for the hosts as they prepare to face La Roja in the first of two international friendly encounters.

Match preview

Before last summer’s tragedy, Colombia enjoyed a respectable run at the World Cup, reaching the round-of-16 where they eventually lost to Switzerland on penalties.

Prior to that disappointment, head coach Nestor Lorenzo watched his side record victories over Uzbekistan, DR Congo and Ghana, while also holding Portugal to a goalless draw during the group stage.

Since the end of the tournament, Colombia have played three international friendlies, all of which were hosted by the United States.

This means that Friday's match against Chile will mark Colombia's first return to home soil since the tragedy, with more than 4,000 travelling supporters also expected to visit Cali and provide a welcome boost to the local economy.

From a footballing perspective, the fixture offers Lorenzo an opportunity to begin laying the foundations for the next major tournament on the calendar, the 2028 Copa America.

Colombia will be eager to go one step further in the next edition after reaching the final of the previous tournament, where they suffered a narrow defeat to Lionel Messi's Argentina.

Chile will head into Friday's encounter with Nicolas Cordova reportedly approaching his final international break as interim head coach, leaving the 47-year-old keen to sign off his spell with a positive result.

During the previous international break, La Roja completed a tour of North America, where they lost against Canada and the United States before beating Mexico 2-0.

Putting those results aside, midfielder Cesar Perez has recently given Cordova public backing, arguing that the team are beginning to find their identity under his leadership.

The interim boss has largely focused on introducing the next generation of Chilean talent during his time at the helm, leaving former stalwarts Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas out of his plans.

Looking ahead to Friday's fixture, La Roja will be hoping to end a seven-year wait for a victory over Colombia.

The two nations last met in October 2024, when Colombia cruised to a convincing 4-0 victory in their World Cup qualifying encounter.

Colombia International Friendlies form:

Colombia form (all competitions):

Chile International Friendlies form:

Chile form (all competitions):

Team News

Colombia’s head coach Lorenzo decided to call up several debutants, including Juan David Arizala, Devis Vasquez, Camilo Mena and Daniel Mosquera.

Some of those names could get minutes given the hosts are missing Richard Rios and Luis Diaz through injuries.

Jaminton Campaz has also withdrawn from the squad last Sunday after suffering muscle discomfort while playing for Rosario Central. Oscar Cortes, who is a regular starter for Argentinian side Huracan, was called up in his place.

Chile, on the other hand, are without Benjamin Kuscevic, who is out with a sprained right ankle, 

There is also uncertainty surrounding Paulo Diaz, who picked up an injury in Tuesday's training session.

Chile's 26-man squad is also missing such names as Marcelino Nunez, Matias Sepulveda, and Marcelo Morales, while Guillermo Maripan is back after being left out of previous squads.

Colombia possible starting lineup:

Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Velasquez; Puerta, Lerma; Asprilla, Arias, Perea; Suarez

Chile possible starting lineup:

Vigouroux; Suazo, Villagra, Roman, Ulloa; Pizarro, Loyola, Osorio; Tapia, Gutierrez, Diaz

We say: Colombia 2-1 Chile

This is no ordinary international friendly given the tragic circumstances, and Colombia will be desperate to lift the nation with a positive result on their homecoming. 

Chile showed signs of improvement during their tour of North America in September, but their lack of quality could cost them here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.