2019 Copa Sudamericana – Independiente del Valle vs Colon Santa Fe Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

When does Independiente del Valle vs Colon Santa Fe kick off? Saturday 9th November, 2019 – 20:30 (UK)

Where is Independiente del Valle vs Colon Santa Fe being played? Estadio General Pablo Rojas (Asunción)

What TV channel is Independiente del Valle vs Colon Santa Fe on? BeIN Sports (USA), ESPN (South America)

Where can I stream Independiente del Valle vs Colon Santa Fe? BeIN Sports Connect (USA), ESPN Play (South America)

Where can I get tickets for Independiente del Valle vs Colon Santa Fe? http://www.eventim.com.br/campaign/sudamericana-es/

THE TEAM NEWS

INDEPENDIENTE DEL VALLE

• Independiente del Valle have been the biggest surprise of the tournament so far. They endured a tough path towards the final, getting past Union Santa Fe (Argentina), Universidad Catolica (Chile), Caracas FC (Venezuela), Independiente (Argentina) and Corinthians (Brazil) to reach the decisive match. Their form during the tournament read W5, D2, L3. They defeated Corinthians in the semi-finals with a 4-2 win on the aggregate score.
• The Ecuadorian side will only have one noteworthy absence ahead of this match, with defender Angelo Preciado being ruled out due to a foot fracture. Veteran striker Claudio Bieler is also out due to injury, although he didn’t play much of a role within the team during the 2019 Copa Sudamericana run.

Expected starting XI: Jorge Pinos; Anthony Landazuri, Richard Schunke, Luis Segovia, Bryan Rivera; Cristián Pellerano; Cristián Dájome, Alan Franco, Efrén Mera, Jhon Sánchez; Gabriel Torres

COLON SANTA FE

• Colon got past Municipal (Peru) and River Plate (Uruguay) in the opening rounds, before their path got tougher. They took down Argentinos Juniors (Argentina), Zulia (Venezuela) and Atletico Mineiro (Brazil) to reach the final match. Their form during the tournament reads W6, D1, L3. El Sabalero got past Atletico Mineiro in the semi-finals after a 4-3 win on penalties.
• Colon Santa Fe do not have many injuries ahead of this game, so manager Pablo Lavallen will have almost the entire squad to choose from. After resting most of the regular in the previous league match, the lone doubt lies on the left side of the defence. Gonzalo Escobar is dealing with a facial injury and if he is out, then Gabriel Esparza would take his place.

Expected starting XI: Leonardo Burián; Alex Vigo, Guillermo Ortiz, Emanuel Olivera, Gonzalo Escobar (Gabriel Esparza); Fernando Zuqui, Federico Lértora, Rodrigo Aliendro, Marcelo Estigarribia; Luis Manuel Rodríguez; Wilson Morelo

THE PREDICTION

Both sides are evenly matched, should feature line-ups close to their best XI and, to make things even more even, it will be a one-legged match at a neutral venue. Colon Santa Fe have the better squad on paper, but Independiente del Valle have a slight edge when it comes to experience since they reached the Copa Libertadores final back in 2016. This is likely to be a low-scoring contest, but Independiente del Valle should lift the trophy once it’s all said and done. They endured a tougher path towards the final and are proven in these instances.