Independiente Del Valle and Palmeiras meet in the third round of the Copa Libertadores in a direct confrontation for the leadership of group F. With four points, the teams share the top of the group and a victory in the match played at the Banco Guayaquil stadium, in Quito, Ecuador , starting at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), could make the difference in defining the classification for the knockout stage of the tournament.
Today, Verdão only appears at the top of the group due to the number of goals scored (4 x 3) and will need to overcome the wear and tear of an intense season to stay ahead of the team that emerges as the biggest rival in the first phase.
After 22 games in an interval of exactly three months, Abel Ferreira’s team shows signs of tiredness and comes from two matches without a win – a defeat to Internacional and a draw with Flamengo, in home clashes in Series A of the Championship Brazilian.
Concern is growing because the game against Independiente Del Valle will be played at an altitude of 2,850 meters. To mitigate the effects, the white staff adopted a series of precautions with their diet and even brought forward their trip to Ecuador to last Monday (22).
“We know that altitude is a weapon they have. We came before to be able to adapt and feel the climate here. Today we had adaptation training, some boys haven’t played at altitude yet and it’s going to be difficult for them. Others who have been here longer have played at altitude and know how to control this type of situation”, said striker Rony.
Alviverde lineup
Coach Abel Ferreira, in the last press conference, admitted that the players are worn out and left open the possibility of changing the team for the clash.
The main doubt in the squad is in relation to midfielder Rapahael Veiga. Starting in the last 12 matches, the player has not found rest because the coach claims he does not have a replacement ready for the vacancy.
If he is not a starter, Gabriel Menino and Rômulo emerge as the main options. There is also the possibility of the coach changing the game plan again, giving up the three defenders (see possible formation below).
For this match, midfielder Zé Rafael remains out due to low back pain. In addition to him, strikers Dudu and Bruno Rodrigues are recovering from right knee surgery.
Like Chega or Independiente Del Valle
Independiente Del Valle is going through an undefeated season so far. There were 11 games, with six wins and five draws.
Currently, the team is also competing for the lead in the Ecuadorian Championship and has 19 points, in second place. The leader is Aucas, with 20 points.
Independiente De Valle x Palmeiras
Independent Of The ValleyMoses Ramirez; Landazuri, Matthew Carabajal, Richard Schunke, and Beder Caicedo; Joao Ortiz, Cristian Zabala, Junior Sornoza and Renato Ibarra; Kendry Paez and Michael Holes. Coach: Javier Gandolfi
PalmeirasWeverton; Murilo, Luan (Lázaro) and Gómez; Mayke (Marcos Rocha), Aníbal Moreno, Richard Ríos, Raphael Veiga (Gabriel Menino or Rômulo) and Piquerez; Endrick and Flaco López. Coach: Abel Ferreira
- Reason: third round of the Copa Libertadores
- Date and time: April 24, 2024, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time)
- Location: Banco de Guayaquil Stadium, in Quito (Ecuador)
- Referee: Cristian Garay (Chile)
- Assistants: Jose Retamal (Chile) and Gabriel Ureta (Chile)
- Video referee: Fernando Vejar (Chile)
- Broadcast: TV Globo, ESPN and Star+
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This content was originally created in Itatiaia.
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