Guide to Sudamericana Action This Week…

This week we have five matches, two of which are return legs of all Brazilian affairs and we have three openers, featuring teams who have yet to play a single minute of Sudamericana action.

First off, on Tuesday, we have Universitario de Sucre from Bolivia hosting Colo Colo of Chile. This is one of two matches that I recommend you watch this week. More on this match later today. Fox Sports en Español will be airing this match LIVE at 4pm PST.

Today’s other match is Venezuelan CD Lara hosting neighboring country Colombia’s Independiente Santa Fe. Now, it would be easy for me to trash this game and make fun of it because it’s meaningless but the last Venezuelan-Colombian match up we’ve seen so far in this competition was Atletico Huila vs. Trujillanos in a really open, fun-to-watch match. Plus, I’ll bet one of these two sides has a jersey you probably haven’t ever seen. Either way, it doesn’t look like Fox Sports is going to televise this match, another unfortunate reason I’m not covering this match at any further length.

Wednesday is Copa Libertadores final match day but there will be Sudamericana action as well. Avaí look to surprise us all by ousting one of Brazil’s most storied clubs in Santos. Unfortunately, you’ll have to find a live feed somewhere online since Fox Sports en Español will not be airing this one live. It will be aired on Thursday at 11:30am PST. The scoreline of the first leg should be enough of an indication of the state of South American football, not just Brazil. The bigger clubs are now struggling as much as the smaller clubs are and that levels the leagues and in turn, the competitions to which they qualify for. And why we are seeing teams like Avaí and Vitória in this competition.

Thursday rounds out the Sudamericana week with Guarani of Paraguay hosting River Plate of Uruguay at the historic Defensores de Chaco stadium. This is another recommended match that I’ll be posting a preview of later this week. River Plate have surprised a lot of people in recent years with their results. Fox Sports en Español will be airing this match LIVE at 3:30pm PST. Stay tuned for more info on this match.

Also, keep an eye out for the all Brazilian tie, Palmeiras hosting Vitória with the first leg going to Vitória. Not unlike the other Brazilian tie in this round, the smaller, unknown club looks to upset the larger more storied club. Vitória was able to win, 2-0 and have a lead going into the match at the Palestra Italia. Fox Sports en Español will be airing this one tape delay at 10:30pm PST for you night owls.

Unlike last week, I’ll post highlights for this week’s matches (minus the ones I’m going to highlight with match previews) at the end of the week. Keep an eye on this page for match previews and better coverage once the Copa Libertadores final match tomorrow takes place.

Category: Copa Sudamericana News