How Colón would line up if the Primera Nacional 2026 kicked off today | OneFootball

If the 2026 Primera Nacional season were to start today, Colón would already have a pretty clear draft of how to position themselves on the field. The management led by José Alonso, along with his board of directors and sports director Diego Colotto, decided to bet on the continuity of Ezequiel Medrán as coach, in a decision that went beyond politics and was based on a long-term football idea to develop.

That decision was the starting point for a profound rebuilding of the rojinegro squad. From the previous group, Medrán retained several young players and a handful of experienced footballers: Tomás Giménez, Nicolás Thaller, Facundo Castro, Nicolás Talpone, Facundo Castet, and Ignacio Lago. The rest of the lineup began practically from scratch.

New Faces and What Could Still Come

So far, Colón has added goalkeeper Matías Budiño, Ignacio Antonio, Julián Marcioni, Leandro Allende, Matías Godoy, Leonel González, and Pier Barrios. They could soon be joined by Matías Muñoz, Federico Lértora, and Alan Bonansea, three names that are very close to sealing their deals and, if finalized, would modify the starting eleven.

However, if the analysis is done with the players currently available to the technical staff, Medrán is already shaping a defined structure and a system that aims for defensive solidity and mobility in attack.

A Scheme with Five Defenders

The chosen tactical formation would be a 5-2-3-1, with Matías Budiño as the starting goalkeeper. Alternatives include Tomás Giménez—one of the few survivors from the previous squad, although a departure in this market is not ruled out—and the young Tomás Paredes.

On the right flank, although the club is advancing for the Uruguayan Emanuel Beltrán, today the position would go to Zahir Ibarra, who already participated in the final stretch of the last season. The central defense would be formed by the duo that arrived from Melgar of Peru: Pier Barrios and Leonel González, while on the left side Leandro Allende would win the spot over Facundo Castet.

The Midfield and an Attack Under Construction

In the midfield, the situation is clear: when Federico Lértora's arrival is confirmed, he will be the undisputed starter. But in the meantime, the pair of central midfielders would be Ignacio Antonio and Nicolás Talpone, two players with complementary characteristics.

Further ahead, Ignacio Lago would move as a right winger, Matías Godoy would do the same on the left, and Julián Marcioni would take on the role of second striker, with the freedom to move behind the number nine. In the center of the attack, and awaiting the arrival of Alan Bonansea, the offensive reference today would be Facundo Castro.

The Possible Starting Eleven

With this outlook, if the tournament started today, Colón would line up with: Matías Budiño; Zahir Ibarra, Pier Barrios, Leonel González, and Leandro Allende; Nicolás Talpone and Ignacio Antonio; Ignacio Lago, Julián Marcioni, and Matías Godoy; Facundo Castro.

A team under construction, with a base that is beginning to consolidate and the latent hope that, with the remaining reinforcements, Colón can build a competitive squad to pursue the great goal of 2026: to fight for promotion.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.