The major teams join the fight for this year's most coveted American title
Four matches will take place this week to get us closer to see who'll be this year's Sudamericana's Champion. Argentinos, Independiente and Cerro Porteño, three favorites, will be chancing their arms to make their way towards the next phase.. Will they make it?
Argentina's Clausura champions Argentinos will be receiving home Daniel Garnero's Devils on a clash of giants that will leave one of them unable to advance further on this competition. Two weeks ago Independiente obtained a significant victory 1-0 in Avellaneda, but this week's trip to La Paternal can turn the tides against Independiente, as the team is occupying the last position in the Apertura and an early elimination from this competition will be more than a bucket of cold water for the Rojos. Team's top striker Nestor Silvera is slowly recovering his level, though he's far from the efficiency he's shown six months ago. Leonel Galeano score the only goal against Argentinos in the first leg match, and his presence will most surely be determinant for Independiente. If Independiente scores a single goal, Argentinos will be forced to a hat-trick to even the global score and Garnero is likely to play with this factor to pose an unsolvable riddle to the Bichitos Colorados.
Argentinos is drifting this season and the crown will be too heavy for the players to bear with without some serious modifications to the squad. Last year's efficiency and security on the midfield have now turned into a symphony of inaccuracies. The team is not only in need of a strong play maker to lead the offense, but also focus on the pressure from the wings, team's main weakness at the moment. Both teams have only obtained two points in the Apertura up to now and thus we're likely to witness two giants desperate for glory this Thursday. Defender Miguel Angel Torren will be unable to perform, injured during last week's game against Arsenal. Argentinos' coach Pedro Troglio will have a tough match waiting ahead, will he be able to build a team strong enough to take the three points from Independiente?
Suffering more than expected, Paraguay's Guarani finally made it to the second phase of this competition, as they managed to secure their ticket against Uruguay's River Plate at Montevideo. The match was fought until the last minute, as the Paraguayans had a two goal advantage from the first leg match while River went berserk playing home and was a single goal away from advancing further in the competition. San Felipe is the only Chilean squad still standing in this competition, and they'll have to deal with Guarani's deadly gunners Rodrigo Teixeira and Francisco Benítez. Aurinegro's coach Felix Dario Leon has given his main players a chance to rest during the week to get to the match fully fit, and the expectations for this match are sky high. Watch out for Jonathan Fabbro, most umbalacing Guarani player.
Union San Felipe's debut in the Copa Sudamericana will take place with many absences. Current Primera B's champions, Uni Uni's coach Ivo Basay will have to find a replacement for four key players in his strategy, as Magico Gonzalez, Victor Meza, David Fernandez and Ceferino Denis might be missing this match due to physical distress. Team's top striker Ángel Vildozo recognized the team will be focusing in the Sudamericana to show its worth to the whole continent, and their success will have much to do with Vildozo's performance. The Albirrojos have been unbeatable on their own ground but will have to chance their arm by visiting Guarani in Asuncion. Chile's future in this competition will be called upon this match.
Atletico Huila has made it to the second phase of this competition having defeated Venezuelan's Trujillanos by a loose advantage that have boosted players' confidence to the sky. Huila's coach Teacher Berrio is aware these match will be much more challenging than the previous ones. He declared "We need to keep working. We're happy and doing an enormous effort to face two tournaments at the same time. One, as a manager, should be happy by the performance of his players" he said. Team's captain Gonzalo Martinez will play a decisive role thanks to his long experience on international matches. Amílcar Henríquez will be unable to perform, called by Bolivia's National Football Team for a friendly match. Watch out for Nicolás Ayr, as San Jose's defense should keep him under a close watch not to be ambushed on this week's trip to Colombia.
San Jose has just lost the top of the Bolivian League and the outcome of their debut for the Copa Sudamericana will be decisive, as this match would most surely by a turning point towards either shame or success. Pressure from the left wing will be weakened due to team's lack of creativity during the last weeks, and the only confirmed absence is defender Franklin Herrera, who is struggling with an injury that will forbid him from performing. Alejandro Bejarano is likely to take over Ronald Puma's place, as he's not pleased team's coach Marcos Ferrufino during the last matches, especially as he was sent off against Oriente Petrolero for the domestic tournament last week. Oscar Diaz, team's deadliest gunner would have to lead the offense against Huila's experienced back line, would he find a way to break through?
The last match of this round will have Universitario de Sucre facing Cerro Porteño. The Bolivian team claimed its place as one of America's strongest a few weeks ago by defeating Colo Colo, and the Paraguayans should keep their rivals under a close watch, as the ferocity of the Universitarians has already been shown. Paraguay's leader Cerro Porteño debut match in this competition will have them visiting Universidad at Bolivia, though their rival has been stronger when playing away up to now on this competition. Goyo Perez's Cerro has made it to the first position of the Clausura thanks to Pablo Zeballos and Iván Torres, who scored against Libertad, the other leader of Paraguay's league. This competitions has now reached the most decisive stages. Watch out for Roberto Nanni, offensive leader and one of the most experienced players in Perez's squad.
It's been over five years since any Bolivian team entered into the final stage of an American competitions, and Universitario has already made enough merits to worry any rival, and the Paraguayans should stay focused not to be overwhelmed by Sucre's boys. Roberto Galindo has been drinking frequently from the stream of success this season, and thanks to his contributions team's followers believe Universitario can advance even further. Every American team has trouble when traveling to Bolivia, as Sucre's stadium is located at almost 3000 meters above sea level, and the visitors are oftentimes exhausted after the first minutes of the game. Universitario is likely to take advantage of this and secure a goo
Argentina's Clausura champions Argentinos will be receiving home Daniel Garnero's Devils on a clash of giants that will leave one of them unable to advance further on this competition. Two weeks ago Independiente obtained a significant victory 1-0 in Avellaneda, but this week's trip to La Paternal can turn the tides against Independiente, as the team is occupying the last position in the Apertura and an early elimination from this competition will be more than a bucket of cold water for the Rojos. Team's top striker Nestor Silvera is slowly recovering his level, though he's far from the efficiency he's shown six months ago. Leonel Galeano score the only goal against Argentinos in the first leg match, and his presence will most surely be determinant for Independiente. If Independiente scores a single goal, Argentinos will be forced to a hat-trick to even the global score and Garnero is likely to play with this factor to pose an unsolvable riddle to the Bichitos Colorados.
Argentinos is drifting this season and the crown will be too heavy for the players to bear with without some serious modifications to the squad. Last year's efficiency and security on the midfield have now turned into a symphony of inaccuracies. The team is not only in need of a strong play maker to lead the offense, but also focus on the pressure from the wings, team's main weakness at the moment. Both teams have only obtained two points in the Apertura up to now and thus we're likely to witness two giants desperate for glory this Thursday. Defender Miguel Angel Torren will be unable to perform, injured during last week's game against Arsenal. Argentinos' coach Pedro Troglio will have a tough match waiting ahead, will he be able to build a team strong enough to take the three points from Independiente?
Suffering more than expected, Paraguay's Guarani finally made it to the second phase of this competition, as they managed to secure their ticket against Uruguay's River Plate at Montevideo. The match was fought until the last minute, as the Paraguayans had a two goal advantage from the first leg match while River went berserk playing home and was a single goal away from advancing further in the competition. San Felipe is the only Chilean squad still standing in this competition, and they'll have to deal with Guarani's deadly gunners Rodrigo Teixeira and Francisco Benítez. Aurinegro's coach Felix Dario Leon has given his main players a chance to rest during the week to get to the match fully fit, and the expectations for this match are sky high. Watch out for Jonathan Fabbro, most umbalacing Guarani player.
Union San Felipe's debut in the Copa Sudamericana will take place with many absences. Current Primera B's champions, Uni Uni's coach Ivo Basay will have to find a replacement for four key players in his strategy, as Magico Gonzalez, Victor Meza, David Fernandez and Ceferino Denis might be missing this match due to physical distress. Team's top striker Ángel Vildozo recognized the team will be focusing in the Sudamericana to show its worth to the whole continent, and their success will have much to do with Vildozo's performance. The Albirrojos have been unbeatable on their own ground but will have to chance their arm by visiting Guarani in Asuncion. Chile's future in this competition will be called upon this match.
Atletico Huila has made it to the second phase of this competition having defeated Venezuelan's Trujillanos by a loose advantage that have boosted players' confidence to the sky. Huila's coach Teacher Berrio is aware these match will be much more challenging than the previous ones. He declared "We need to keep working. We're happy and doing an enormous effort to face two tournaments at the same time. One, as a manager, should be happy by the performance of his players" he said. Team's captain Gonzalo Martinez will play a decisive role thanks to his long experience on international matches. Amílcar Henríquez will be unable to perform, called by Bolivia's National Football Team for a friendly match. Watch out for Nicolás Ayr, as San Jose's defense should keep him under a close watch not to be ambushed on this week's trip to Colombia.
San Jose has just lost the top of the Bolivian League and the outcome of their debut for the Copa Sudamericana will be decisive, as this match would most surely by a turning point towards either shame or success. Pressure from the left wing will be weakened due to team's lack of creativity during the last weeks, and the only confirmed absence is defender Franklin Herrera, who is struggling with an injury that will forbid him from performing. Alejandro Bejarano is likely to take over Ronald Puma's place, as he's not pleased team's coach Marcos Ferrufino during the last matches, especially as he was sent off against Oriente Petrolero for the domestic tournament last week. Oscar Diaz, team's deadliest gunner would have to lead the offense against Huila's experienced back line, would he find a way to break through?
The last match of this round will have Universitario de Sucre facing Cerro Porteño. The Bolivian team claimed its place as one of America's strongest a few weeks ago by defeating Colo Colo, and the Paraguayans should keep their rivals under a close watch, as the ferocity of the Universitarians has already been shown. Paraguay's leader Cerro Porteño debut match in this competition will have them visiting Universidad at Bolivia, though their rival has been stronger when playing away up to now on this competition. Goyo Perez's Cerro has made it to the first position of the Clausura thanks to Pablo Zeballos and Iván Torres, who scored against Libertad, the other leader of Paraguay's league. This competitions has now reached the most decisive stages. Watch out for Roberto Nanni, offensive leader and one of the most experienced players in Perez's squad.
It's been over five years since any Bolivian team entered into the final stage of an American competitions, and Universitario has already made enough merits to worry any rival, and the Paraguayans should stay focused not to be overwhelmed by Sucre's boys. Roberto Galindo has been drinking frequently from the stream of success this season, and thanks to his contributions team's followers believe Universitario can advance even further. Every American team has trouble when traveling to Bolivia, as Sucre's stadium is located at almost 3000 meters above sea level, and the visitors are oftentimes exhausted after the first minutes of the game. Universitario is likely to take advantage of this and secure a goo
