Atlético Nacional faces Once Caldas on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. local time in the Copa BetPlay semifinals, Win Sports reported.
Manager Lucas González released a depleted roster for the home leg. The squad sheet left off Juan Rengifo and Samuel Velásquez after both players received call-ups to the Colombia senior national team.
González criticó a la federación por el trato dado a los clubes locales en comparación con los del exterior, señalando que Boca Juniors retuvo a Álvaro Montero mientras que Nacional perdió jugadores para los compromisos internacionales.
“It is a pity that we lose players at crucial moments,” González said, according to El Colombiano. “What is not coherent is that here in Colombia and not clubs from outside, for example with Álvaro Montero, who stayed at Boca Juniors to play the Argentine Cup semifinal, but ours have to go because otherwise the club is sanctioned.”
Colombia manager Néstor Lorenzo fired back at the criticism during an interview in Cali, calling the complaints unfair. Lorenzo asserted that clubs should celebrate player development rather than protest international duty, noting that when he omits domestic league players critics accuse him of ignoring the local tournament, yet when he selects them the coaches complain.
“I listened to Lucas, it seems to me that it is unfair because Nacional contributes to all selections thanks to its formative and competitive process for many years,” Lorenzo said, as reported by AS Colombia. “It contributes to the national teams and for the club it should be a pride that the players are called up.”
Lorenzo added that he can explain his decisions directly to coaches who call him rather than taking complaints to the press, and defended his handling of Álvaro Montero by stating that the goalkeeper’s absence and inclusion were planned ahead with Camilo Vargas since the previous FIFA window, without knowledge that Boca Juniors would reach the final.
Analyst Carlos Antonio Vélez weighed in on Win Sports’ Palabras Mayores, arguing that the complaint lacked merit because Rengifo and Velásquez typically log reserve minutes rather than starting roles, having been used for only 50 percent of the minutes by González.
Beyond the national team departures, midfielder Edwin Cardona missed out on the semifinal selection without a corresponding entry on the club medical list. Kevin Parra and Elkin Rivero returned to the matchday group to increase squad depth.
Defender César Haydar deals with right hamstring muscle fatigue, with his recovery timeline pending examination results, while Neider Parra returned to outdoor training sessions.
The fixture marks the opening leg of the domestic cup knockout round at the Atanasio Girardot. Atlético Nacional enters the contest seeking an early advantage in a crowded tournament schedule.
Colombia’s upcoming international schedule features a pair of friendlies against Chile, with both Rengifo and Velásquez included in the squad as part of the team’s generational turnover.
