(photo: Staff Images/Cruzeiro)
Cruzeiro is not thinking about any other result other than victory against Alianza in the Copa Sudamericana. Still without winning a single triumph, Raposa is in trouble in Group B of the competition and needs to turn things around to continue dreaming of qualifying directly for the next stage. No Attack brings below the key scenarios with possible combinations after the end of the fourth round.
Cruzeiro and Alianza will face each other this Tuesday (7/5), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at the Armando Maestre Pavajeau Stadium, in Valledupar, Colombia. The duel will put the two worst teams in the group face to face. The miners are in third place, with three points, while the Colombians are in last place, with just one.
In the other clash in the bracket, Universidad Católica will host Unión La Calera, from Chile, at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium, in Quito, Ecuador. The ball starts at 11pm (Brasília time) this Thursday (9/5). The home team leads the group, with seven points, while the visitors are in second place, with four.
In addition to drying out their opponents, Cruzeiro needs a perfect campaign in the group stage return games to reach the lead. This is because only the first placed teams in each group qualify for the round of 16 of the South American Championship. The second teams advance to a playoff against the third teams in the Copa Libertadores.
South American Group B table
- 1st) Catholic University (EQU) – 7 points
- 2nd) Unión La Calera (CHI) – 4 points
- 3rd) Cruise – 3 points
- 4th) Alliance (COL) – 1 point
Scenarios for Cruzeiro after the fourth round
Victory
If they achieve their first victory in the tournament, Cruzeiro will reach six points and be in a better position to qualify. However, there is a possibility that the celestial team will not gain any position in the Group B table even with the triumph.
To take second place, Raposa needs to hope for a draw or defeat for Unión La Calera against Universidad Católica. In case of equality, the Chileans would reach a maximum of five points – one less than Cruzeiro – and would lose second place. The Ecuadorians, in turn, would have eight.
With the defeat, La Calera would have the same four points and two less than Cruzeiro. Católica would take the lead alone, with ten.
The only way for the team led by coach Fernando Seabra not to climb the table is if the Chileans defeat the Ecuadorians. With this combination, La Calera would reach seven points and equal with Católica, and could even take the lead if they reduce the difference in balance (three goals).
A tie
If Cruzeiro stumbles away from home once again, the situation in the South American could become very complicated. A new draw will leave the Celestial team with four points, guaranteeing at least third place at the end of the round.
Cruzeiro would be in third place with two simple combinations: a draw between Católica and La Calera, or a victory for La Calera away from home. If the first situation occurs, the Ecuadorians would have eight points, while the Chileans would reach five. The second probability would leave the score between the two teams equal, both with seven.
However, there is a chance that Raposa will move up to second place even with a draw. For this to happen, Católica would have to beat La Calera. This way, the Ecuadorians would reach ten points in the isolated lead, while the Chileans would lose goal difference and would automatically be overtaken by Cruzeiro.
Defeat
With the defeat to Alianza, Cruzeiro’s chances of qualifying would drastically decrease. This is because the Minas Gerais club would continue with three points and would be overtaken by the opponent – who would reach four –, moving to the bottom of the group.
In this scenario, the chance of direct advancement would be greater if Católica and La Calera drew. Thus, the Ecuadorians would reach eight points, while the Chileans would reach five, with two direct clashes remaining for the celestials.
If Universidad Católica wins over Unión La Calera, Cruzeiro will no longer have a chance to take the lead in the group and will only be able to advance to the stage through the playoff. The team based in Quito would gain ten points and could no longer be overtaken by the team from Minas Gerais.
La Calera’s victory over their opponents would set fire to the group dispute. This is because the Chileans would equal the Ecuadorians in the number of points (seven) and would leave all teams with a chance of qualifying.
