Junior faced Once Caldas on Wednesday at the estadio Romelio Martínez in the return leg of the Liga-I quarterfinals, carrying a 1-0 lead from the first match in Manizales and needing to protect it to move on.

Coach Alfredo Arias made two changes from the previous game, with Yeison Suárez stepping in for the suspended Jhomier Guerrero and Luis Muriel taking the place of Jannenson Sarmiento. Junior’s starting XI was Mauro Silveira, Edwin Herrera, Jean Pestaña, Lucas Monzón, Yeison Suárez, Juan David Ríos, Fabián Ángel, Yimmi Chará, Bryan Castrillón, Guillermo Paiva and Luis Fernando Muriel.

The match was the second leg of the Liga-I quarterfinals, and Junior entered it seeking qualification to the next round. The team was also chasing a step closer to the bicampeonato, with the cushion from the 1-0 win in Manizales giving Arias a little room but no guarantee.

That is what made the selection notable: Junior did not overhaul its side, but adjusted only where it had to. Suárez covered for the suspended Guerrero, while Muriel came in for Sarmiento, a pair of changes that kept the core of the team intact for a night that could decide whether the club stayed on course for another title push.

For Junior, the stakes on Wednesday were plain. Keep the lead, finish the tie, and reach the next round. Lose control at Romelio Martínez, and the advantage earned in Manizales would mean far less than it did at kickoff.