Uruguayan Defensor Host the Argentine Champions.

By: Mauro | September 25th, 2008

Defensor Sporting Club vs. Club Atlético River Plate (Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay)

LIVE @ 4pm PST on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

With the possible reappearance of Sebastián Abreu in River Plate’s starting XI and riding quite the streak of poor matches, Los Millonarios, open their participation with a trip across the Rio de la Plata to neighboring Montevideo, Uruguay where Defensor Sporting await them.

While Defensor Sporting beat Libertad in the First Round, Defensor really had to stretch to put them away and that’s saying something. Considered the best Paraguayan side, they are still in a league beneath many teams in South America. Still, I had the pleasure of watching Defensor Sporting play River Plate of Uruguay in the Urugayan playoffs and the player who stood out as the man to mark was Argentine (and ex-Boca) Julio Marchant. He is head and shoulders above his teammates in the technical sense and in terms of his vision on the field.

River Plate are coming off winning their first title in about four years and are on the downside of their footballing peak. Having been performing poorly in the Argentine Apertura, River are a side with a completely unsatisfied coach.

Simeone has rotated the hell out of this team searching for the right mix of players but has had trouble getting the best out of the players he does field together. While having a squad that could be the envy of the league, instead he has players who have trouble finding each other on the pitch and no one able to be that game breaker he so desperately searches for.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which side of the fence you are on, Sebastián Abreu is back in River Plate’s line up as the center forward. I liked him at the end of the Copa Libertadores run (a short one, I know) but that was as far as he got in my book.

Bottom Line: River are in need of a win, any kind of win really. With a win, we can assume a better performance from them at home. But let’s be honest, an away match in Uruguay, isn’t really much more than an away league match. This match will be a true test of Defensor’s abilities. Keep your eyes peeled.

My Pick: 1-1. I don’t think River will win this one. The skid could continue. Defensor leave the question mark out there as to whether or not River is the test they’ve been waiting for to show South America that they are for real.

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.