We must beat Colombia: Gerardo Martino

Barranqillaa: After three games and no wins, Argentina simply have to beat Colombia to get their faltering World Cup campaign back on the rails, coach Gerardo Martino said from Barranquilla on Monday.

"Being in this situation is pretty uncomfortable, and beyond that there could have been better soccer played, is the power to correct it through a positive result, and the only positive result is winning. And so that`s the aspiration, that at the end of the day tomorrow we can be content with the performance of the team as well as the result," the coach said shortly after arriving in the coastal city, where his team will take on the host side on Tuesday.

It is also important numerically.

Argentina have just two points from a possible nine and sit ninth in the 10-team South American qualifying group.

The top four teams qualify for Russia 2018 and the fifth-placed side goes into a play off.

Although he will once again be without his attacking triptych of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, all of whom are out injured, he can still call on the world class talents of Angel Di Maria, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Gonzalo Higuain.

Martino added he expected his side to play positively and they would not be bothered by the stifling conditions with humidity in the Caribbean city expected to be over 80 percent and the temperature around 32 Celsius (90F).

Martino assessed the challenges facing his team.

"I understand that it`s an extra load, unfair and unnecessary for the group of soccer players because it`s clear as well that they at some moment, as happened to us with Ecuador, that they can have a bad game, and dealing with this situation, there are things that can be said. So it seems to be adding more on to what they already have, which is having committed the big sin which is having played two finals," he said.

Colombia are sixth in the group on four points.

The sides last met in the Copa America quarter-final in June with Argentina qualifying on penalties after dominating the 0-0 draw.