By Gustavo Castilho.
Time to put the Brazilian Championship aside and roll the ball to Copa Libertadores da América. The week can be decisive for several Brazilians who fight in the competition.
To remain at the top of Group C, AthleticoParanense need only to tie the game against Jorge
Wilstermann, (BOL), which happens next Tuesday, at Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba. The
Hurricane Athletico is the leader of the group with nine points, three more than the opponent,
currently in second place. In the confrontation in Bolivia, the Brazilian team got the better part
of the deal and beat the hosts (2×3). The Bolivian team is second with six points. For the same
group and with the same six points, Colo Colo, (CHI) who needs to win the next two games to
stay alive in the competitiontakes Peñarol, (URU), who despite being in the last position, still
breathes and with a combination of resultsmay remain in the competition.
Tuesday is also the day for the Grenal duo to enter the field. In an all-tangled group, any
stumbling can be fatal. International (current group leader) travels to Colombia to face América
de Cali, third in the group with four points. In the first match between the two, we had seven
goals, with Colorado winning by 4×3, in Porto Alegre. Also in Porto Alegre, Grêmio receives
Universidad Católica at the Arena. In Chile, the hosts won and won 2-0. With the same score as
America, the Catholic is the last due to the goal difference. Only three points, that is, a victory,
separates the last from the leader, so nothing defined in group E, which after Tuesday, will only
play play again on October 22nd.
On Wednesday, the ball rolls to three other Brazilians. Flamengo receives Independiente del
Valle in group A, at Maracanã. Second in the group, but with the same number of points, both
teams fight for the leadership. Del Vale, who in the last week applied Flamengo’s biggest defeat
in Libertadores, will try to repeat the dose, as he faces a totally disfigured Flamengo, due to the
Covid-19 outbreak that contaminated the club. Junior Barranquilla and Barcelona de Guayaquil
complete the round. The already eliminated Barcelona thinks about the possibility of a vacancy
for the South American, whilst the Colombian team still dreams of a possible classification.
At the São Paulo capital, Palmeiras, leader of group B, seeks to maintain the winning streak.
The team has nine points and needs only a tie to stamp the passport for the round of 16. The
team faces Bolívar (BOL), which still has classification chances. At the Bolivian altitude,
Luxemburgo’s team won by 2-1. The Bolivians, who are third in the group with four points,
need the victory. Tigres (ARG) and Guaraní (PAR) is the other game in the group. The
Paraguayan team is second with seven points while the opponent is the last with just one.
Palmeira’s rival, São Paulo, plays the game of life against River Plate (ARG), in Argentina. With
the elimination practically defined, only a miracle will save the Paulista Tricolor. In third place
with just four points and zero goal balance, the team from São Paulo needs to not only win
Libertadores 2019 runner-up, but also hope for different combinations of results in the next
games. In addition, they would need to apply a historic rout at Binacional (PER), an opponent
that defeated him in the first encounter. River ranks second with seven points and a sound
eleven goals balance. The LDU leader (ECU), on the other hand, has nine points and three goals
in balance, faces and the Binational (last in group) that has only one victory and a balance of
minus fourteen. The Argentine and Ecuadorian teams face each other in the last round.
On Thursday it’s Santos’ turn to take the field. A draw against Olímpia (PAR) is enough for the
Santos team to advance. The leader with ten points, Santos is another Brazilian who remains
undefeated in the competition. At Vila the goal net remains still, now it is time for the ball to
roll in Asunción. Third place with five points, the Paraguayan team is very much alive in the
competition. Just one point less than the runner-up, Defensa y Justiça (ARG). The Argentines
face the lantern Delfim (PER), in Peru, depending only on themselves to qualify.
