The Junior will go hunting this Thursday in Barranquilla to get rid of the Argentine Unión de Santa Fe and advance to the round of 16 of the South American Cup, in a decisive duel for the sixth date of Group H.
The Colombians are first with 10 points and +6 goal balance, stalked by Unión that has 9 units and +4 and Fluminense with 8 units and +1. The sharks will have to play with one eye on the match between Fluminense and eliminated Oriente Petrolero in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. But ‘Flu’, although they are still in the race, have a very difficult time because they need to win by a minimum difference of 5 goals and for there to be a draw in Barranquilla to qualify.
In the South American Cup, only the leaders of each group qualify for the round of 16, in which they will face the third in each zone of the Libertadores. “We play a final in the South American on Thursday, we hope to pass.
I am very calm with the performance of my players”, expressed the Argentine strategist Juan Cruz, who directs Junior, according to statements published by the newspaper El Heraldo de Colombia. The team is in a “better moment.” In the first leg, Unión and Junior drew 1-1 in the Argentine city of Santa Fe.
High voltage
Both teams come to the duel with casualties. The Tatengue will be without the experienced Uruguayan defender Diego Polenta, who injured his right knee against Fluminense.
For his part, Junior will suffer from the absence of defender Jorge Arias, who has accumulated yellow cards and is suspended. The defensive block also suffers from the loss of Homer Martínez and Enrique Serje due to injury.
For the Uruguayan coach of Unión, Gustavo Munúa, Thursday will be “a game with a lot of tension on the part of both teams.” “You have to know how to manage the moments of the match, but we are going for the victory, for making an approach to play in a rival field and hopefully it can be given to us,” the helmsman told the press before embarking on his trip to Barranquilla.
Cruz and his team know that Unión will not be easy prey. “It seems to me that they are going to come to attack, because they need the result. They are a difficult team and we have to be at our best to be able to counteract them,” said the coach.
The match will be played at the Roberto Menéndez Metropolitan Stadium starting at 7:30 pm and will be refereed by Paraguayan Eber Aquino, accompanied by his compatriots Eduardo Cardozo and José Cuevas. Star+TV.
Likely lineups
Junior: Sebastián Viera – Fabián Viáfara, Daniel Rosero, Dany Rosero, Gabriel Fuentes – Omar Albornoz, Carlos Esparragoza, Yesus Cabrera, Didier Moreno, Fredy Hinestroza Arias – Miguel Borja. DT: Juan Cruz Real.
Santa Fe Union: Santiago Mele – Emanuel Britez, Franco Calderón, Lucas Esquivel, Federico Vera – Juan Portillo, Enzo Roldan, Jonatan Alvez – Mauro Luna Diale, Mariano Peralta Bauer, Kevin Zenon. DT: Gustavo Munua.
AFP
#Junior #seeks #qualification #Copa #Sudamericana