Cúcuta Deportivo has been the surprise package of the Liga BetPlay in the second half of 2026. Once threatened by relegation, the club has secured its top-flight status and still has a realistic chance of reaching the quadrangular stage. Its 1-0 win over Santa Fe added to the momentum, and defender Mauricio Duarte says the team can go further.
“We’re thinking about the top eight”
Speaking to the programme La Milonga on AS Colombia, Duarte described the relief within the squad now that the fight against relegation, which hung over them for most of the season, is over. He admitted the team had dropped important points at home against Águilas Doradas, but said the players had bounced back and, thankfully, saved the category.
According to Duarte, staying in the league was the main goal for 2026, with a second target of finishing in the top eight. “From there, you dream big,” he said, pointing to the support of the home crowd as a major factor in the team’s performances against stronger opponents.
Looking ahead, he said the club is now focused on the top eight, which he described as within reach. Cúcuta still has to face two sides already eliminated from the competition, Junior and Jaguares. Duarte warned against underestimating Junior, a club with experienced players and a strong pedigree, and noted that the Barranquilla side are two-time champions.
The odds are against them
Duarte’s confidence is not shared by the numbers. Besoccer, a football statistics website, gives Cúcuta only a 4% chance of making the quadrangular stage. That is far below Once Caldas, which sits ninth with a 40% chance, and Águilas Doradas, currently eighth, at 49%.
The Fútbol Eficiente predictions are slightly more generous, putting Cúcuta’s chances at 17%. Even so, that model still ranks Once Caldas and Deportes Tolima ahead of them.
Cúcuta is currently 10th with 24 points and a goal difference of -5, which weighs against them in the race for the quadrangular stage. The club needs to win both of its remaining matches to reach 30 points, and its fate also depends on the results of Once Caldas and Águilas Doradas.
Source: www.infobae.com
