Universidad de Chile will be desperate to win the first international title in their entire history when they clash with Liga de Quito in the Copa Sudamericana title decider on Wednesday.
Universidad de Chile face Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito of Ecuador in the most important match of their entire history on Wednesday, in which they will go for their first ever international title: the Copa Sudamericana.
Rivals Liga de Quito, on the other hand, were not only crowned Copa Sudamericana champions in 2009, but they lifted the Copa Libertadores title, South America's biggest club competition, in 2008.
Last week Universidad de Chile took a massive step towards the title, with a 1-0 victory over Liga in the first leg of the final at the Casa Blanca stadium in Quito. The Chileans only need a draw in Santiago to win the title, which would be an incredible achievement for the club.
But despite their valuable advantage coming into the second leg, Universidad's Argentine coach, Jorge Sampaoli, believes the series is far from over, and for this reason his side have to be very cautious.
"Liga beat Velez in Liniers and it will be very tough for us. Hopefully we can have the possibility to play a match in which we can impose our attacking abilities, against players with lots of experience, which can harm us," Sampaoli declared to the press prior to the grand finale.
"We only picked up a slight advantage in a 180-minute match; it's not decisive when it's against a side that have won four finals. We will try to impose our style, knowing that the best possibility is to attack," added Sampaoli, who will once again count with a full-strength squad, which includes exceptional striker Eduardo Vargas, the tournament's leading scorer with nine goals.
Meanwhile, Liga arrived in Santiago on Monday afternoon, with the absences of Ulises de la Cruz, Patricio Urrutia and Neicer Reasco, who are all injured.
Despite the fact that Liga face a complicated task, coach Edgardo Bauza and his players believe they have the necessary tools to overturn the loss they suffered in Quito with a win, and essentially the title in the Chilean capital.
"It isn't easy, we aren't the favourites, but it won't be the first time that this group would demonstrate to me how to revert complicated situations," admitted Bauza.
"Ninety minutes remain, we are behind, but we feel capable," of returning home with the glory, concluded Hernan Barcos, Liga's scoring-machine.
The final will be staged at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago, which will be packed to its 50,000 capacity. Tight security measures were taken by the local authorities to prevent any disturbances in and outside of the stadium.
Rivals Liga de Quito, on the other hand, were not only crowned Copa Sudamericana champions in 2009, but they lifted the Copa Libertadores title, South America's biggest club competition, in 2008.
Last week Universidad de Chile took a massive step towards the title, with a 1-0 victory over Liga in the first leg of the final at the Casa Blanca stadium in Quito. The Chileans only need a draw in Santiago to win the title, which would be an incredible achievement for the club.
But despite their valuable advantage coming into the second leg, Universidad's Argentine coach, Jorge Sampaoli, believes the series is far from over, and for this reason his side have to be very cautious.
"Liga beat Velez in Liniers and it will be very tough for us. Hopefully we can have the possibility to play a match in which we can impose our attacking abilities, against players with lots of experience, which can harm us," Sampaoli declared to the press prior to the grand finale.
"We only picked up a slight advantage in a 180-minute match; it's not decisive when it's against a side that have won four finals. We will try to impose our style, knowing that the best possibility is to attack," added Sampaoli, who will once again count with a full-strength squad, which includes exceptional striker Eduardo Vargas, the tournament's leading scorer with nine goals.
Meanwhile, Liga arrived in Santiago on Monday afternoon, with the absences of Ulises de la Cruz, Patricio Urrutia and Neicer Reasco, who are all injured.
Despite the fact that Liga face a complicated task, coach Edgardo Bauza and his players believe they have the necessary tools to overturn the loss they suffered in Quito with a win, and essentially the title in the Chilean capital.
"It isn't easy, we aren't the favourites, but it won't be the first time that this group would demonstrate to me how to revert complicated situations," admitted Bauza.
"Ninety minutes remain, we are behind, but we feel capable," of returning home with the glory, concluded Hernan Barcos, Liga's scoring-machine.
The final will be staged at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago, which will be packed to its 50,000 capacity. Tight security measures were taken by the local authorities to prevent any disturbances in and outside of the stadium.
