New Jersey, July 14 Colombia will need to be at their best to have any chance of beating Argentina in the Copa America final, Cafeteros manager Nestor Lorenzo said.
Argentina, the reigning Copa America and World Cup champions, occupy top spot in FIFA's latest world rankings and, according to Lorenzo, are favorites going into Sunday's duel at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Meanwhile, Colombia - who are seeking their second Copa America title and first since 2001 - are 12th in the rankings, despite a 28-game unbeaten run dating back to early 2022.
"We need to be the best version of Colombia to defeat the champions of everything," Lorenzo said, who also alluded to Argentina's victory over Italy in the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions.
"If we had not performed well we would not be here. But to beat Argentina you have to have the best version of each player and multiply it."
Colombia reached the final by defeating Uruguay 1-0 in their last match, despite playing for more than 45 minutes with only 10 men. Argentina advanced by overcoming Canada 2-0 in the other semifinal.
While conceding that Argentina were formidable rivals, Lorenzo was quietly confident that his team could cause an upset.
"The reason is because we are not satisfied," he said. "The group is hungry. I said that we have to play at our best level to beat Argentina, but we are confident that we can do it."
Lorenzo also paid tribute to Colombian fans and expressed hope that his team would bring them joy on Sunday afternoon.
"There is no more joyful and fanatical fan," Lorenzo said. "We would like to be able to reach finals of big tournaments regularly and not make our fans wait for so long."
"But staying at the top is not easy. This group has a bright a future. I hope this [run of success] continues and that in the future it won't be such a surprise to see Colombia in a final," he added.
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