Cruzeiro faces Alianza for 1st victory and chance of qualifying in the South American Championship

Cruzeiro faces Alianza-COL this Tuesday (7), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), in the fourth round of Group B of the Copa Sudamericana. The duel will be at the Armando Maestre Pavajeau stadium, in Valledupar, Colombia. Coach Fernando Seabra’s team is looking for its first victory in the competition to increase its chances of qualifying for the next phase.

Currently, the celestial team occupies third place, with three points gained in three matches played. Cruzeiro’s performance so far is 33.3%.

Group classification

To guarantee direct qualification to the round of 16, the team needs to finish first in the group. Currently, Universidad Católica de Quito occupies first place in Group B, with seven points from three games.

The second-placed team also has a chance of advancing to the stage, but will need to go through a playoff against a team that will come from the Copa Libertadores da América.

Today, Unión La Calera, from Chile, is second in Group B, with four points.

Of Cruzeiro’s four games in the competition, this will be the third away from home. Previously, the team faced Universidad Católica, in Ecuador, and Unión La Calera, in Chile.

Cruise Preparation

For the clash with Alianza, attacking midfielder Álvaro Barreal could gain a chance in the starting team. The player’s good performance in Cruzeiro’s 3-1 victory over Vitória, in the fourth round of the Brazilian Championship, at Mineirão, gives the Argentine a good position to start the match against the Colombians.

On the other hand, coach Fernando Seabra has two confirmed absences for the International clash: newly signed goalkeeper Gabriel Grando and midfielder Japa.

The archer is not registered in the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana and, therefore, cannot enter the field. Already the half a muscle injury was found in the left thigh, as anticipated by the Itatiaia.

Cruzeiro had more time to prepare for the match with Alianza. The celestial team has not entered the field since April 28th. The match against Internacional, valid for the fifth round of Series A of the Brazilian Championship and initially scheduled for last Saturday (4), was postponed by the CBF, due to the heavy rains that hit Rio Grande do Sul.

Retrospect in Colombia

After 14 years, Cruzeiro is back in Colombia. The last time he was in the country of ‘cumbia’, in 2011, the Celestes triumphed 2-1 over Once Caldas, in the Copa Libertadores. The clash was held at the Palogrande stadium, in Manizales.

Cruzeiro played 17 games in Colombia, won nine times, drew four and lost another four (60.8% success rate).

Opponent comes from goals

after the historic draw at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, on April 11th, Alianza meets Cruzeiro again at a bad time. In the last five games, the Colombian team only won one duel and lost four, two of which were thrashed. With the end of the Apertura, a sort of first round of the competition, Alianza finished second to bottom, in 19th position, with just 16 points gained.

What does Cruzeiro need to do to be a leader?

To be the leader of the group, in the scenario in which it will depend on fewer combinations of results, the team from Cruzeiro will have to win the three remaining games and “dry” Universidad Católica against Alianza or Unión La Calera, both in Ecuador.

The second-placed team in each South American group competes in a playoff in round-trip games. On occasions, the teams will face the third placed teams in the Copa Libertadores groups.

ALIANZA-COL

Alliance

Pier Grazzinai; Guerrero (Navarro), Olaya, Pedro Franco and Leonardo Saldaña (Ospina); Mercado, Castillo and Jiménez; Emerson Batalla, Mayer Gil and Valencia. Coach: Hubert Bhodert

cruise

Anderson; William, Zé Ivaldo, João Marcelo and Marlon; Lucas Romero; Lucas Silva, Álvaro Barreal and Matheus Pereira; Arthur Gomes and Rafa Silva. Coach: Fernando Seabra.

Reason: 4th round of Group B of the Copa Sudamericana
Date and time: May 7, 2024, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time)
Local: Armando Maestre Pavajeau Stadium, in Valledupar (COL)
Referee: André Merlos (ARG)
Assistants: Miguel Savorani (ARG) and Pablo Acevedo
VAR: German Delfino (ARG)
Streaming: SBT, ESPN 4, Star+; Itatiaia will broadcast the match on the radio (95.7 FM, in Belo Horizonte and the Metropolitan Region, and 610 AM) and will show the Sports Journey on YouTube.