The Brazilian champions welcome Cruz Azul to the Pacaembu stadium for what is expected to be a thrilling Copa Libertadores clash.
Enrique Meza, the coach of Mexican club Cruz Azul, believes that his side have good possibilities of reaching the knock-out stage of the Copa Libertadores ahead of their crucial clash with Brazilian champions Corinthians at the Pacaembu stadium on Wednesday.
The Mexicans lead Group 6 of the competition, and if they manage to pick up the three points in Brazil they will progress to the following stage of the competition.
"Nobody can determine who will qualify at this stage, we have a bit more of an opportunity, we have to play two away games and one at home, so by doing the math we can qualify, but nobody can celebrate a victory beforehand," affirmed Meza.
Cruz Azul had to settle for a goalless draw against Corinthians in Mexico last week, an outcome that according to Meza was the result of poor finishing.
"We played our hearts out, but what happens is that Corinthians are a very competitive team, [they are] fast. We had some opportunities, like they did, and when they got tired we attacked more, but we failed to convert the ones that we had," explained the coach.
Meanwhile, Corinthians midfielder Paulinho also admitted that his team have to finish off their goal-scoring opportunities in order to increase their possibilities of progressing.
"We will need to have patience, maintain that intensity that we had over there. We had chances, but we didn't score goals, now we have to take advantage [of our chances] and win the game," he stated.
Despite being in second place of Group 6, with five points, ahead of Nacional of Paraguay and Deportivo Tachira, with three and one points, respectively, Corinthians have only managed to score three goals and much of this can be brought down to the ineffectiveness of star striker Liedson.
The former Sporting Lisbon goal-poacher has failed to score in his last eleven games, which has become a worrying sign for the Brazilian champions.
However, his strike-partner, Emerson, is confident that he will return to scoring ways at any moment:
"Liedson is a goal-scorer, so it is alarming when he hasn't scored in such a long time. Shortly he will score two or three [goals], he just has to score the first one. We have confidence in him."
With three valuable points at stake, fans can expect a thrilling encounter on Wednesday, between two teams who have yet to taste defeat in the Copa Libertadores.
The Mexicans lead Group 6 of the competition, and if they manage to pick up the three points in Brazil they will progress to the following stage of the competition.
"Nobody can determine who will qualify at this stage, we have a bit more of an opportunity, we have to play two away games and one at home, so by doing the math we can qualify, but nobody can celebrate a victory beforehand," affirmed Meza.
Cruz Azul had to settle for a goalless draw against Corinthians in Mexico last week, an outcome that according to Meza was the result of poor finishing.
"We played our hearts out, but what happens is that Corinthians are a very competitive team, [they are] fast. We had some opportunities, like they did, and when they got tired we attacked more, but we failed to convert the ones that we had," explained the coach.
Meanwhile, Corinthians midfielder Paulinho also admitted that his team have to finish off their goal-scoring opportunities in order to increase their possibilities of progressing.
"We will need to have patience, maintain that intensity that we had over there. We had chances, but we didn't score goals, now we have to take advantage [of our chances] and win the game," he stated.
Despite being in second place of Group 6, with five points, ahead of Nacional of Paraguay and Deportivo Tachira, with three and one points, respectively, Corinthians have only managed to score three goals and much of this can be brought down to the ineffectiveness of star striker Liedson.
The former Sporting Lisbon goal-poacher has failed to score in his last eleven games, which has become a worrying sign for the Brazilian champions.
However, his strike-partner, Emerson, is confident that he will return to scoring ways at any moment:
"Liedson is a goal-scorer, so it is alarming when he hasn't scored in such a long time. Shortly he will score two or three [goals], he just has to score the first one. We have confidence in him."
With three valuable points at stake, fans can expect a thrilling encounter on Wednesday, between two teams who have yet to taste defeat in the Copa Libertadores.
