2019-03-01 World Soccer

attacking midfielder Mati Fernandez

should give them extra firepower. New

coach Luis Fernando Suarez also has

an impressive CV, taking Ecuador to the

knockout stage of the 2006 World Cup

and doing solid work recently with

modest La Equidad.

LDU Quito would seem to have by

some distance their best squad since

becoming the only team from Ecuador

to win the competition, back in 2008.

Uruguayan coach Pablo Repetto took

their tiny neighbours Independiente del

Valle all the way to the Final in 2016;

with more resources at his disposal LDU

could be a threat, not least because of

the altitude of their home city.

Down at sea level in Guayaquil,

Emelec have assembled a squad with

some attacking depth and their group

does not look like one of the most

difficult in the competition. Three times

champions Olimpia of Paraguay have

also done well out of the draw and their

great rivals Cerro Porteno will also hope

to make it beyond the group phase.

The glory days of Uruguay’s clubs are

long gone, but it will be interesting to see

if Penarol can maintain the progress

they have shown since Diego Lopez took

over in the middle of last year.

Chilean clubs also have a poor record

of late and reigning domestic champions

Universidad Catolica were rocked at

the end of last year by the sudden

resignation of Spanish coach Benat San

Jose. Former Bolivia and Ecuador boss

Gustavo Quinteros has a hard act to

follow, but the incentive is enormous: if

Catolica can match their achievement of

1993 and reach the Final they will have^

a big advantage.

As of this year the Libertadores Final

is a one-off game at a pre-determined

venue – which in 2019 will be in

Catolica’s home city of Santiago.

consistently producing a team that plays
thoughtful and attractive football.
Gremio’s reign as champions was
ended by a team with even more
continuity, with Marcelo Gallardo having
been coach of Buenos Aires giants River
Plate for almost five years – which is
an eternity by South American standards.
During that time, Gallardo has built
a number of different teams, developed
as a tactician and won the Libertadores
twice, in 2015 and 2018.
Although they have lost attacking
midfielder Gonzalo Martinez from last
year’s triumphant team to Atlanta United,
River have otherwise retained an exciting
squad and they look the team to beat
once again.
Runners-up to their arch-rivals last
time out, Boca Juniors are more of an
unknown quantity this term. New coach
Gustavo Alfaro has a long CV but no

successful experience with a big club.

At the age of 56 this is the biggest

challenge of his career, and the loss of

Wilmar Barrios and Pablo Perez means

that he will have to rebuild the midfield.

But if new Colombian signing Jorman

Campuzano is a success, then there

is enough attacking talent at Alfaro’s

disposal for Boca to be a threat.

Of the best of the rest, last year’s

quarter-finalists Cruzeiro should not be

discounted under the canny command

of Mano Menezes and their local Belo

Horizonte rivals Atletico Mineiro also

have potential, although coach Levir

Cupli will have to tighten up the defence.

Buoyed by last year’s Sudamericana

Cup success, Athletico Paranaense

are a go-ahead club who are anxious for

more silverware, while Internacional did

better than expected in their first season

back in the Brazilian top flight last year

and they will be looking to keep the

momentum going.

Argentina’s Rosario Central have an

interesting squad and a coach, Edgardo

Bauza, who took them to the semi-

finals in 2001 and has since

won the title twice. His last

triumph was with San

Lorenzo, who have been

in poor domestic form but

whose current coach, Jorge

Almiron, is highly rated and

led Lanus to the 2017 Final.

San Lorenzo will be in the

same group as Colombian

side Junior, who are one

of the most feared clubs

from outside the Brazil-

Argentina axis.

For the past two seasons,

Junior have gone close in the

Sudamericana Cup, falling in

the semi-finals and the Final

of tournaments that they

were good enough to win.

Those past exploits mean

they have no shortage of

experience as well as talent,

and the signing of Chilean

WORLD SERVICE

Boca hope...new boy

Jorman Campuzano

Close...Junior’s

Jefferson Gomez

takes on Athletico

Paranaense in last

year’s Sudamericana

Cup Final

Beaten...Hernanes (in black)

struggles against Talleres, who

overcame Sao Paulo 2-0 on

aggregate in the qualifiers

P

r

e

v

ie

w

Although they have lost attacking

midfielder Gonzalo Martinez from

last year’s triumph, River Plate

look the team to beat once again