A Return Leg That Promises to be Worthwhile.

By: Mauro | August 20th, 2008

Estudiantes de La Plata vs. Club Atlético Independiente (Estadio Unico de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina)

LIVE @ 5pm on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

In what was easily one of the best matches in this competition, Independiente hosted Estudiantes in Avellaneda for the first leg of this tie. The first leg featured Independiente and Estudiantes playing a wonderful fast paced, back and forth style. Something that we’ll hopefully have a repeat of tonight.

Word on the street is that Juan Sebastián Veron will most likely be back in action for this match after having a bothersome cramp in his left thigh, causing him to be subbed off in the first leg. Since Estudiantes are still winless after three matches, tonight’s match carries with it quite a bit of weight, being a home match and all.

They are coming off a 2-2 draw at home against Banfield and are becoming desperate for a win. It’s not as though the team is playing poorly, I think the results are against them, is all.

Looks like José Luis Calderón to start the match on the bench to make way for Iván Moreno y Fabianesi to stand firm in the midfield and Gastón Fernández and Mauro Boselli to start as the strikers up front.

Independiente, on the other hand, are most likely going to take a more conservative stance in their visit to La Plata than the one they took to defend their home ground (not really their ground since their stadium is being renovated and are using cross town rivals’ Racing Club’s stadium). This probably means that they’ll be playing a defensive role with an opportunity here or there on the counter.

Coach Claudio Borghi’s only doubt so far, with respect to the starting line up, is whether or not to field Darío Gandín from the get go, since he’s knocked in a couple of goals in the final minutes coming on as a sub in recent matches, or let Federico Higuaín retain his spot on the forward line.

Otherwise look for Daniel Montenegro to hook up with Carlos Matheu in the midfield. Both will try to sneak some passes into a very fast on the break Leonel Nuñez and Gandín or Higuaín up front. Higuain might be quicker and Gandin is a bigger presence in the area.

Bottom Line: Independiente have a great side and proved that last week in a really exciting match. Estudiantes, in the meantime, have a more hard nosed style with a little flair from the new forwards which made their first few matches quite exciting. Independiente have the slight advantage coming into this match but the advantage is purely on paper and anything can happen in this one.

My Pick: 1-1. For sure this time. Independiente need a good showing in an international cup and they have the squad to compete in both the Argentine Apertura and the Sudamericana for the first time in a long time.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get one here.