Atlético Nacional named its squad Monday morning for the second leg of the Liga BetPlay 2026 final against Junior de Barranquilla, a match that begins with the hosts chasing a 3-0 deficit at the Atanasio Girardot. The call-up came on the same day the team needs a perfect night to keep alive its bid for the title.
The club’s message was plain: the fans are the most important player in the comeback attempt. In the list of available options, Atlético Nacional included Harlen 'Chipi Chipi' Castillo, Andrés Felipe Román, César Haydar, William Tesillo, Samuel Velásquez, Jorman Campuzano, Juan Zapata, Eduard Bello, Nicolás Rodríguez, Andrés Sarmiento and Alfredo Morelos, as it prepared for a return leg that has already become a test of belief as much as football.
That urgency is why the search around Atlético Nacional - Junior has sharpened today. The first leg in Barranquilla ended 3-0, and the result left Nacional with no margin for error in front of its home crowd. On Sunday, supporters turned out for a banderazo during training at the Atanasio Girardot, with the stadium nearly full as fans tried to push the team into the final. The club is still trying to win its 19th star, and it is leaning hard on the same crowd it believes can change the mood of the tie.
William Tesillo did not hide the size of the task. He said Nacional did not start the first half as it should have in a final, but added that the hope remains high and that, with its people, the team can turn the result around if it corrects some things. Diego Arias gave the same match a blunt reading, saying the first goal came too quickly, the second arrived after a lapse, and the game unfolded in a way that suited Junior. His point was not about excuses. It was about how fast the first leg slipped away.
There is the contradiction Nacional now has to live with: it talks like a team that believes in a comeback, but it steps onto the field already three goals down. Still, the squad announcement, the packed support at training and the tone from Tesillo all point to one clear reality — the only path left is to start fast, stay clean and hope the Atanasio Girardot can carry the weight of a final that has already tilted sharply toward Junior. The second leg is Monday, June 8, 2026, and Nacional either changes the story there or the gap becomes the story.
