- Team form: Junior have lost 4 of their last 5 matches, drawing the other.
- Away form: Once Caldas are unbeaten in their last 5 away matches, winning 1 and drawing 4.
Stick with the visitors, who are in the groove
Prediction and odds
CD Junior de Barranquilla and Once Caldas will share the spoils at 2-2 when they last met in Barranquilla earlier in Primera A 2026 and that result probably represents their most likely outcome again on Monday, albeit at slightly different odds.
Junior are 2.1 favorites here, Once Caldas 3.4, and the draw is a slightly overpriced 3.35, so there's some value to be found in all three betting propositions.
Tactical preview
Junior are a much more attacking side than Once Caldas, who will sit deep and try to nick a goal, but the visitors have been in better form lately and are capable of nicking something if they stay solid.
Alfredo Arias has headed up Junior since 24 June 2025 and his side are an attack-first side, full of vertical pace and overlapping width, which can test the patience of Once Caldas' compact 4-3-3 formation.
Once Caldas’ solid structure can frustrate Junior
Hernan Herrera's side, which he has led since 24 October 2023, are more solid and structured, good on the ball, disciplined and well-drilled. In this clash, Once Caldas' structure will test Junior's temper while their ability to sit back and make the most of counter-attacking opportunities should frustrate the hosts, who carry a 3-game losing run into this game.
Both Teams To Score is 1.77 and Over 2.5 is 1.95, so this looks set to be a tight but open game.
- Luis Muriel is Junior's leading scorer in Primera A 2026 with 2 goals in 5 games, while Once Caldas' top scorer is Luis Gomez with 1 goal in 2 games – a tiny sample size but a useful spark up front.
- Junior have 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat at home across all competitions, but they have failed to win in their last 2 in Barranquilla, so we are going with the draw.
- Once Caldas have scored 10 goals in their last 5 away games across all competitions so the counterpunch should have bite in this matchup.
