- Cucuta Deportivo’s form is strong and confident, powered by promotion and a run of late 2025 victories
- Once Caldas’ form is mixed, combining the fatigue of an impressive Sudamericana run with solid domestic displays
- Recent head-to-head: 27 meetings, all competitions, Once Caldas have a slight edge with 11 wins to Cucuta’s 9, seven draws
Cucuta back with a bang in 2026
Cucuta Deportivo will be buoyed by momentum as they enter the 2026 Apertura on Monday, having just won the Torneo BetPlay 2025-II to secure promotion, prevailing in a dramatic penalty shootout to clinch the final. The first matchday will be under the microscope for fans and pundits searching for a Cucuta Deportivo vs Once Caldas prediction, as the expectations for both returning and established teams couldn't be higher.
Nelson Flórez’s side are a compact, disciplined and dangerous unit, generally favouring 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 structures in which they look to create numerical superiority in wide areas and use vertical transitions to attack in transition. For those interested in this Cucuta Deportivo vs Once Caldas prediction, it is worth noting Cucuta are not always the team with the ball but their situational pressing can cause turnovers and they are always a threat when they win the ball back.
Lucas Ríos, who scored in the promotion final and was a key player in Cucuta’s ascent, is arguably their top player and can run at defences and provide the creative spark in the transition or in the final third. Jonathan Agudelo brings a calm presence and leadership to the front-line, including a crucial strike in the promotion decider.
Solidity and Moreno to get Caldas a result
Once Caldas bring a different set of strengths to this Primera A opener, with Hernán Darío ‘El Arriero’ Herrera setting up his team to be solid, flexible and structured, controlling the tempo and absorbing pressure with a midfield block that can switch to counterattacking mode with the experience and finish of Dayro Moreno at the top of their team.
The veteran Colombian striker was in the knockouts of the 2025 Sudamericana in which Caldas knocked out Huracán and recorded a 1 - 0 win over Deportivo Pasto and a 1 - 1 draw at Deportivo Cali in the league. The Cucuta Deportivo vs Once Caldas preview highlights how Caldas are a battle-hardened squad that can take a knock in the Sudamericana and recover to grind out the result in the Primera A.
Michael Barrios brings pace and width from the flanks, while Mateo Zuleta can create chances and play in the channels, and Moreno will pounce on any crosses and set pieces. Caldas have the big-game experience of their 2025 Sudamericana run to rely on, but the long trip to Cucuta and the home side’s familiar heat could take its toll on them late on. With that in mind, our Cucuta Deportivo vs Once Caldas prediction leans towards a tightly contested fixture, with the visitors banking on their experience to hold off Cucuta's momentum.
Hosts have momentum
The odds favor the hosts here at 2.12 with Once Caldas at 3.55 and the draw at 3.15, so we are taking Cúcuta to edge this one by a narrow margin that would set the tone for their long-awaited return to the Primera A. For those seeking Cucuta Deportivo vs Once Caldas betting tips, a Cucuta win is a reasonable pick based on their recent form and home advantage.
But it is likely to be a cagey game in which neither team wants to get caught out early on, so we are playing the under 2.5 goals line at 1.65, which looks generous given both sides will probably be quite pragmatic in the early stages of the 2026 season when points are crucial.
