Colombian professional football begins the year with a highlight: the first leg of the BetPlay 2026 SuperLiga.

Junior de Barranquilla, current champion of the second half of 2025 after beating Deportes Tolima, receives Independiente Santa Fe at the Metropolitan Stadium.

The “cardinal” team reaches this stage with the momentum of having won the title of the first half of 2025 against Independiente Medellín, setting up a high-level confrontation between the two best teams from the previous year.

The expectation in the Atlantic capital is not only focused on the trophy, but also on the transfer market.

Duel of champions! Junior receives Santa Fe in the first leg of the SuperLiga

The “Tiburón” will take advantage of this first official commitment of the year to present Luis Fernando Muriel, whose hiring has been the most mediatic movement of the recess.

However, he will play the game without José Enamorado, key to Junior’s year-end title.

The World Cup forward will be presented to his new fans minutes before the opening whistle, adding an extra attraction to a squad that seeks to confirm its dominance in the rented venue.

The meeting is scheduled for this Thursday at 7:30 pm, the time at which the ‘Colossus of the Citadel’ will vibrate with the first step towards the title that defines the “champion of champions.”

Both teams arrive with the intention of taking advantage in the series before the second leg, seeking to give a coup of authority that will allow them to start the 2026 season by adding a new star to their official record.

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