The modest Guaireña FC, which arrives from the city of Villarrica, wants to row against history by facing Inter de Porto Alegre for the fourth date of Group E of the South American Cup.
The Paraguayan team led by Troadio Duarte, leads the series against all odds and has the magnificent opportunity to take a fundamental step when they host Colorado at the Defensores del Chaco stadium, starting at 6:15 p.m.
On the last date, Guaireña FC did not fail at home and with Diego Godoy’s solitary goal from the penalty spot, they beat Ecuador 1-0 on October 9 for the third date of the South American phase; the victory catapulted him to the top of the table, a place that he will seek to remain looking for a victory tonight against the Brazilian team.
The albicelestes lead the key with 5 points and a better goal difference than Inter, which is with the same number of points, while Deportivo Independiente de Medellín (DIM) accumulates 4 as well as the Ecuadorian 9 de Octubre. Guaireña’s advantage lies in the feat of having tied his Brazilian rival in the first leg on April 14 (1-1). That night the Paraguayan coach remarked that “many times, nothing is impossible in football. With names and numbers, a game does not always work out in his favor.
What makes the “Campeao de Tudo” swallow saliva is that the Copa Sudamericana only qualifies only one of the four competing teams for the round of 16. This phase of the South American is completed with the third of each group of the Libertadores. After their defeat in their home game as a second collateral damage, the state entity fired their Uruguayan coach Alexander Medina. However, by the third date, Inter balanced the top of the table with Guaireña, by wresting a victory from Independiente Medellín, which they defeated 1-0.
THE PROTAGONIST
One of the players who stands out in Troadio Duarte’s team is midfielder Jordan Santacruz, who mentioned that the squad is calm waiting for game time. “It is a match that all the players want to play, it is something unique that we are enjoying, we take it seriously, hoping to be able to play a good role to obtain a good result”.
“We are a humble team from the interior of the country, we characterize ourselves as a team that tries to run. We are fulfilling so far, in these three games we did not know the defeat and now we have chances to advance since we depend on us. It is something very beautiful, that none of us imagined but that we all wanted, an illusion that many people saw as far away because of the group that touched us, however, we are among the first places fighting to enter”, highlighted Jordan Santacruz.
He added that, as the games go by, “I am focusing more on what is my natural position in the middle of the field, where I feel more comfortable when playing, I am not unaware of the central position, but I have more freedom to run and attack in the middle sector” underlined the midfielder who feels optimistic for tonight’s game.
This clash is key with a view to qualifying, a victory will leave the Villarrica team very close to the next round of the continental tournament. The match will be refereed by Cristian Garay, accompanied by assistants Alejandro Molina and Miguel Rocha. Nicolás Gamboa will be the fourth referee.
Likely lineups:
Guaireña: Héctor Espínola – Aquilino Giménez, Miguel Paniagua, David Mendoza, Joel Jiménez – Richard Salinas, Juan Aguilar, Jordan Santacruz, Pablo Ayala – Yeiber Murillo and Mario Otazú.
DT: Troadio Duarte.
International: Daniel – Bustos, Bruno Méndez, Vitão, Renê – Gabriel, Rodrigo Dourado, Edenilson, Carlos de Pena – Wanderson and Alemão.
DT: Hand Menezes.
