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International Friendly Preview: Mexico v South Korea

South Korea continue preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with a friendly against a Mexico side keen for stability under Miguel Herrera.

Hong Myung-Bo´s men qualified for their eighth consecutive World Cup finals in June last year and started 2014 in fine fashion with a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in Los Angeles last Saturday.

The 2002 World Cup semi-finalists will look to build on that success with a victory over Mexico, who endured a tumultuous qualifying campaign.

Mexico needed an intercontinental play-off to qualify for the finals in Brazil, beating New Zealand 9-3 over two legs in November after narrowly avoiding elimination in the final stage of CONCACAF qualification.

Indeed, Mexico were beaten 2-1 by Costa Rica in the final round of group stage games, but two late goals from the United States in their 3-2 win over fifth-placed Panama booked Mexico´s place in the play-off with.

The defeat to Costa Rica signalled the end of Víctor Manuel Vucetich´s two-game reign as Herrera became the fourth coach within the span of a month.

Herrera will hope that he can turn around Mexico´s fortunes heading into the World Cup and that striker Oribe Peralta - scorer of five goals across the two games against New Zealand - will be able to inspire them to a third straight win under his stewardship.

Meanwhile, South Korea´s squad is bereft of talent such as Bayer Leverkusen´s Son Heung-Min and Augsburg´s Ji Dong-Won, although striker Lee Keun-Ho, who has 18 goals from his 59 caps, is included.

Chile Primera Division Wrap: Colo Colo overhaul Palestino

Colo Colo have climbed to the top of Chile´s Primera Division, thrashing Deportes Iquique on the road 5-2.

Hector Tapia´s men remain unbeaten through four matches and usurped Palestino on goals scored to sit pretty in first place - with the teams equal on 10 points and goal difference of plus-six.

It took Colo Colo 38 minutes to find their first goal on Saturday at the Estadio Tierra de Campeones.

Esteban Paredes received a long ball from defence, and went on a dazzling run down the left side of the park before looping a cross into the back post where Emiliano Vecchio did the rest from a sharp angle.

Gonzalo Fierro doubled Colo Colo´s lead a minute out from half-time, converting a penalty given after Paredes was fouled inside the area.

After having a big hand in the first two goals, Paredes was finally handed his chance to score - and he scuffed a shot into the back of the net despite a late lunge from an Iquique defender.

Fierro then was tripped inside the area, handing Colo Colo their chance for a fourth - and Felipe Flores duly converted from the spot.

Rodrigo Diaz gave the home fans something to cheer about, when in the 65th minute, he lashed home an unstoppable long-range left-footed strike to pull a goal back.

But there would be more pain for Iquique, as Mauricio Zenteno was dismissed on 71 minutes - earning a second yellow for a sliding challenge on Flores.

Fierro added his second, and Colo Colo´s fifth, when he finished off a well-worked move six minutes later, before Iquique scored another consolation goal via Santiago Romero in injury time.

Palestino had moved top earlier on the weekend, with a late 1-0 home win over Universidad Concepcion.

Nicolas Suarez scored in the 90th minute to preserve their unbeaten status - one of four teams without a loss so far - and also condemn Concepcion to their first loss after three straight wins.

O´Higgins sit fourth, and are also unbeaten, after they accounted for bottom side Everton 2-0 away from home.

Universidad Catolica battled with 10 men for the best part of the second half but held on for a 1-1 draw away to Audax Italiano.

A Gustavo Canales brace saw Union Espanola to a 2-1 road win over Huachipato, while Antofagasta - the other unbeaten team - earned their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Cobresal.

Union La Calera snapped a two-match losing run when they beat Rangers 3-1 at home, Universidad Chile thrashed Nublense 5-0 and Santiago Wanderers and Cobreloa played out a 2-2 draw.

Mål

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Soccer Roundup: Colo Colo stays top with rampant win, ‘La U’ nets 5

Colo Colo in five goal thriller, Palestino ends Concepción’s win streak in audacious new kit sure to provoke further disciplinary action and renew uproar in Jewish community.

Iquique 2-5 Colo Colo

Colo Colo put five past Iquique on Saturday evening, registering a fourth straight win to take the club joint top of the Clausura, level on points and goal difference with Palestino.

Twenty-five-year-old playmaker Emiliano Vecchio got things going when he slid in to sneak the ball past Rodrigo Naranjo’s near post six minutes before half time.

Midfielder Gonzalo Fierro, formerly of Flamengo, then made it two a minute prior to the referee blowing for the break — with a penalty. There was no respite for Iquique after the interval as Colo Colo’s veteran striker Esteban Paredes popped up to make it three-nil on 47 minutes.

Some clumsy Iquique defending gifted “El Eterno Campeón” another penalty — this time Felipe Flores stepped up to make it four to the good in the 56th minute.

Hector Tapia’s side has got Colo Colo off to its most promising start since since 2009 — the last time Chile’s most successful team won the title.

“Today the players played tremendously well,” he told press after the match. “The players look strong and share a clear vision.”

The home side eventually managed to pull a goal back in the 65 minute through Argentine midfielder Rodrigo Díaz but any hopes of an unlikely comeback were cut short as Fierro took his tally to two on 77 minutes.

In the dying moments of the game, fiery-haired Uruguayan midfield-maestro Santiago Romero reared his head to score another consolation.

Iquique is finding this season a little more taxing than the last — when it could be argued that the team overachieved, qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana. The outfit currently sits 14th, with a win, a draw and two defeats.

Palestino 1-0 Universidad Concepción

When Palestino players took to the turf on Friday evening to face Universidad Concepción, a golden map of pre-1947 Palestine shimmered brilliantly as the setting sun cast its rays over the Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna. It appears club President Fernando Aguad is a man of his word.

“We are going to design a new shirt with complete liberty to include the territory of, and any symbols relating to, Palestine,” he told El Mercurio after Chile’s National Soccer Federation (ANFP) banned a map of the Palestinian and Israeli territories appearing on club jerseys. A fine of US$1,300 was also imposed.

The Jewish community — already outraged after claiming the original map, in the shape of a number “1,” implied all Israeli territory belonged to Palestine — will no doubt be reeling after such a show of defiance from Palestino’s hierarchy.

Not only does the golden map stand proud on the front of the new kits, but a smaller image of the map can be seen incorporated into each number on the back of the shirts.

The ANFP is likely to intervene once again. The first ruling found that Palestino’s jersey breached the soccer federation’s regulations relating to political, racial and social discrimination — and there is no doubt that the new design ups the ante.

Pablo Sánchez, manager of Concepción, was focused on the game though — a man with a football mind such as he was not going to be distracted by a mere shirt design.

“We will play like we did against Universidad Católica,” he told press before the match. “We play without worrying about the opponent — we exploit weaknesses.”

However, Emiliano Astorga’s Palestino side ended Concepción’s unbeaten start to the season in what turned out to be a battle of attrition. It was no walk over — home fans were forced to wait until deep into injury time before celebrating all three points.

Astorga has grand plans for this year and after reaching the Copa Libertadores play offs last season he hopes to achieve more success in 2014.

“Unfortunately, we could not progress further in the playoffs. Our dream this year it to maintain the level at which we have been playing and reach an international tournament,” he told press after the game.

Palestino dominated from the off yet struggled to find a way through a resolute Concepción defence. Midfielder Sergio López rifled a volley wide early on before sending a free kick just over the woodwork.

The rampant López was also gifted the time and space to spoon a square ball skywards — the Argentine so close, yet so far from registering a first half hat-trick.

Substitute Concepción striker Diego Ruíz, on for Pedro Muñoz, also fluffed his lines late on — all the Argentine had to do was make clean contact with the ball after it was whipped in from the right. The ball, however, ended up in the welcome arms of the home crowd after sailing high and wide. A dreadful miss.

If Ruíz was not already rueing his inability to score, he certainly was in the 94th minute when home defender Nicolás Suárez rolled off his marker to nod a corner past Cristian Muñoz’s near post. It was a tough blow to take for Pablo Sánchez’s men, who sit in third place with nine points. Palestino moves up to second, level on 10 points with first placed Colo Colo.

Universidad Chile 5-0 Ñublense

Studies present a paradox in the fickle world of mid-season managerial mixups. Replacing coaches after a poor run of form generally prompts a lift in results for clubs — though the statistical phenomenon known as regression to the mean shows that backing a manager is no less effective an option.

In any case, Sunday’s emphatic result at Estadio Santa Laura strengthens the theory that the departure of Marco Antonio Figueroa was the shot in the arm needed to rouse Chilean soccer’s sleeping giant.

Claudio Romero could barely have asked for a better response from his players than the 5-0 annihilation of Ñublense. The Universidad de Chile interim coach claimed the ravenous fashion in which “Los Azules” went about their work was born out of frustration as much as a winning mentality.

“I’m happy for the players because they needed to blow off steam and win in this way,” Romero said in his debut post-match press conference. “I think everyone played at a high level and replicated what we had worked on during the week.”

Romero will be especially heartened by a fine performance from Patricio Rubio who netted the game’s first two goals. The young forward represents “La U’s” biggest strike threat, though went into Sunday’s match without a goal in three weeks.

Argentine Gustavo Lorenzetti too was in resplendent form. The midfielder was truly in a class of his own during the first period, and twice conjured up the ripest of opportunities only to be let down by his colleagues before the opener on 23 minutes. Rubio could not miss from five yards out after Lorenzetti’s lofted center zeroed-in on the striker’s forehead.

Ñublense held firm through the remainder of the period, though was dealt a blow in the 45th minute when midfielder Jonathan Cisternas — playing at leftback — received a second yellow. The player was cruelly adjudged to have dived in the box under pressure from José “Pepe” Rojas. While a penalty would have been harsh on “La U,” there was certainly enough contact to rule out simulation.

The team’s weakened left flank was immediately exploited by the home side. Once more Lorenzetti found Rubio with a sweeping diagonal ball, and in acres of space the striker had time to control with his chest, cut back across his scrambling marker and side-foot in a controlled shot to nab his brace.

Just six minutes later, Roberto Cereceda joined in the fun to make it three. While the fullback’s bundled close range finish was far from attractive, the chance came via a beautiful run from Rubén Farfán, the rapid wideman’s change of pace bamboozling Ñublense defenders Boris Sandoval and José Rojas.

In the 83rd minutes, Lorenzetti left the pitch to a standing ovation — though more raucous applause lay in store for his replacement Fabián Carmona. Making just his second senior start for “La U” after promotion from the youth academy, the 19 year old gathered the ball on the right, produced a fine switch field cross and sprinted into the box to fire in Rubio’s return ball — all within a minute of coming on.

By now eleven broken men, Ñublense lost all organization and the ball remained in their half for the remainder of the match. Substitute striker Francisco Castro made it five after firing home Ramón Fernández’s fine through ball, and Uruguayan right wing Rodrigo Mora was bitterly unlucky to end a half hour cameo without netting, having hit the post and drawn two fine saves from compatriate Lucas Giovini.

The win lifts Universidad de Chile to sixth, while Ñublense falls to 16th.

Everton 0-2 O’Higgins

O’Higgins, unbeaten in eight in all competitions, overcame a struggling Everton side which has started this season as it finished the last — embarking on a worrying losing streak. The team from Viña del Mar is languishing at the bottom of the table after six straight defeats dating back to Dec.1.

The first half of the match was a dry affair — both sides struggled to carve out any real chances. The second period was a different story though, as O’Higgins flew out of the blocks, no doubt energized after a fiery Eduardo Berrizio halftime talk.

Striker Diego Cháves got on the scoresheet on 48 minutes with a headed effort before defender Luis Figueroa twisted the knife with his first goal of the season in the 68th minute.

O’Higgins sits one point behind Concepción in fourth, Everton is still searching for an elusive point and the signs do not look encouraging for Nelson Acosta’s outfit. The fickle business of soccer management may prove too fragile for the Uruguayan — results will have to improve soon.

Huachipato 1-2 Unión Española

A brace from Unión Española’s Gustavo Canales resigned Mario Salas’ Huachipato to 13th in the standings. The first half lacked an end product as both Canales and fellow forward Carlos Salom wasted good chances.

Española keeper, Diego Sanchez, was in fine form denying Martin Rodriguez and David Llanos before Canales registered the first of his goals five minutes in the second half.

Just as Española fans thought victory was theirs, Chilean striker Llanos put the finishing touches on Juan Carlos Espinoza’s pass. But there was more — Canales reared his head once again in dramatic fashion on 90 minutes to grab all three points, ensuring his team scales to 10th with five points. Huachipato is only one point behind yet lies in 13th.

Audax Italiano 1-1 Universidad Católica

“Los Cruzados” started brightly on Saturday and will be aggrieved not to have left La Florida with maximum points. Italiano goalkeeper Jaime Bravo reacted brilliantly to pull off a double save from striker José Luiz Muño on 15 minutes.

Traveling midfielder Diego Rojas broke the deadlock on 22 minutes after picking up Milovan Mirosevic’s pass. However, the dynamic of the game changed five minutes into the second half when Católica keeper Cristopher Toselli was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the area. Referee Enrique Osses gave the Chile international his marching orders.

No more than four minutes later midfielder Marco Medel equalized for Italiano with a pinpoint freekick. The goal injected urgency into the home team’s attack and Jaime Rubilar’s men, sensing an upset, threw everything at Católica, though the front men were unable to capitalize on the numerical advantage.

Italiano sits eighth on five points, 10 time league winners Católica go fifth.

Antofagasta 1-0 Cobresal

A solitary goal from Antofagasta striker Cristian Canío was enough to earn all three points against lowly Cobresal on Saturday.

Canío’s effort was well taken — the Chilean smashed the ball beyond Argentine goalkeeper Sebastián Cuerdo on 51 minutes to inflict “Los Mineros” their fourth straight defeat.

Antofagasta, unbeaten in seven, climbs to eighth while Cobresal occupies 15th spot.

Unión La Calera 3-1 Rangers

Saturday’s scoreline is perhaps a little unfair on a Rangers side who gave Unión La Calera a tough test for a large part of the game. Striker Matías Rubio thumped the ball home on seven minutes before defender Mario Berrios grabbed the first of his brace with a header 10 minutes before half time.

Rangers frontman Mauricio Gómez pulled one back in the 64th minute but Berrios popped up again two minutes into injury time to seal victory — this time scoring a penalty.

La Calera rise to seventh while Rangers lie 15th with only one win in four games.

Clausura upcoming fixtures:

Jan. 31, 6:30 p.m.: Universidad Concepción vs. Everton
Jan. 31, 9 p.m.: Universidad Católica vs. Palestino
Feb. 1, 5 p.m.: O’Higgins vs. Santiago Wanderers
Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m.: Unión La Calera vs. Iquique
Feb. 1, 10 p.m.: Unión Española vs. Ñublense
Feb. 2, 4 p.m.: Cobreloa vs. Audax Italiano
Feb. 2, 4 p.m.: Cobresal vs. Rangers
Feb. 2, 5 p.m.: Antofagasta vs. Universidad de Chile
Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m.: Colo Colo vs. Huachipato

Strength in numbers needed by Brazilian clubs in Copa Libertadores

The last four winners of the Copa Libertadores have come from Brazil – which is only to be expected. In professional football, money matters. And a financial chasm has opened up in the last few years between Brazilian clubs and those in the rest of the continent. Revenue has been flowing in from sponsorship and TV rights. As a consequence, talent from all across South America is heading for Brazil. Andres D’Alessandro of Internacional heads an ever stronger contingent of Argentine players in Brazil. But there are no high profile Brazilians in Argentina – the clubs there simply could not afford them.

It is no surprise, then, that Brazil is taking a grip on the Libertadores. The surprise is that the grip is not even tighter. Back in 2010 Internacional won the continent’s equivalent of the Champions League. That year, there were four Brazilian clubs in the last eight. One would have thought, that with Brazil’s financial advantage growing year by year, that such dominance would become increasingly noticeable. In fact, the opposite has happened.

In 2011 Santos, the eventual winners, were the only Brazilian club to reach the quarter finals – and they were lucky to get past America of Mexico in the second round. And in both the last two campaigns Brazil has contributed two of the last eight – Fluminense and both the champions, Corinthians in 2012 and Atletico Mineiro last year.

Had Atletico keeper Victor not saved an injury time penalty against Tijuana of Mexico, there would have been no Brazilian representation in the Libertadores semi finals – astonishing, given the financial balance of forces. As it is, Atletico needed a penalty shoot out to win both the semi final and the final. The decider was against Olimpia of Paraguay – whose entire wage bill would not come close to paying Ronaldinho. But that imbalance was never seen on the pitch. After a tense struggle which could have gone either way Atletico needed the drama of the shoot out to proclaim themselves champions.

There is something heartwarming in this – an observation that money might be important, but that it is not always determinant, that football always retains the capacity to spring surprises. It could also lead to an interpretation that domestic Brazilian football is performing well short of potential – a view that performances in the World Club Cup over the past few years would tend to support.

So what of this year? There are some interesting rivals in the field; San Lorenzo of Argentina, with a highly promising group of youngsters now coached by Edgardo Bauza, who took LDU of Ecuador to the title in 2008. Or Atletico Nacional of Colombia, under the fascinating Juan Carlos Osorio, winners of both Colombian championships and the cup in 2013. Or Cerro Porteno of Paraguay, with a bright new generation under Francisco Arce, former idol of Gremio and Palmeiras, who won the last domestic league without suffering a single defeat.

How will the Brazilian challenge stand up? Clearly, the team that everyone wants to see is Cruzeiro. Can they sustain the form that carried them so comfortably to the league title last year? Some have their doubts. Whatever happens, the format of the competition, with home and away knock out, will test them more than the Brazilian league was able to in 2013.

Astonishingly, of the 6 Brazilian sides in this year’s Libertadores, Cruzeiro are one of only two not to have changed their coach since the end of last season. Marcelo Oliveira continues in charge, as does Jaime de Almeida with Flamengo, an improvised stand in last October who grabbed his opportunity in fine style.

The other four have all made a change – a trend which has much to do with an alarming realisation made by Brazil’s clubs. Their spending was out of control. Suddenly the money is not so abundant.

TV rights revenues may have risen with a decade from R$300 million to RS1.5 billion, but, as sports business expert Amir Somaggi point out, “the clubs have spent it, and some have even taken out bank loans as well.” Suddenly the scenario looks bleaker. The government is now taking a harder line against clubs that run up fiscal debts. A year ago, writes Carlos Mansur in the ‘O Globo’ newspaper, “the sky seemed to be the limit in Brazilian football. However, the limit seems to have been exceeded, and the pre-season market of 2014 bears the mark of recession.”

Botafogo have also suffered from the loss of revenue resulting from the temporary closure of the Engenhao stadium. They have said a reluctant farewell to Clarence Seedorf. Coach Oswaldo de Oliveira has also moved on. No attempt was made to bring in a big name replacement. Instead they have gone for a cheap, in house solution, the promotion of former assistant Eduardo Hungaro – who has already been jeered by fans in the opening games of the Rio State Championship.

The club are taking a risk. Botafogo now embark on their first Libertadores campaign since 1996 – which begins with the home and away qualifying round against Deportivo Quito of Ecuador. Their opponents have altitude in their favour in their home leg, but are in far worse financial straights than Botafogo. Their star players from last year have all been sold, with a few replacements scrambled in. It would indeed be a disaster if Botafogo’s long awaited Libertadores adventure were to come to an end after just two games. Hungaro, then, is being thrown in at the deep end.

The other Brazilian side in the qualifying round are Atletico Paranaense, one of the shocks of last year’s domestic season. Their decision not to retain the services of coach Vagner Mancini can only be described as baffling. Perhaps it, too, was at least in part motivated by financial considerations. Atletico’s financial resources are being stretched by the need to get their stadium ready in time for the World Cup. In comes a Spanish coach, confusingly named Miguel Angel Portugal, who had been in charge of Bolivar in La Paz. Presumably he comes considerably cheaper than Mancini, and although Atletico are favourites to go through, opponents Sporting Cristal of Peru have enough firepower to make things interesting – a word that applies very neatly to the prospects of all six Brazilian sides in the 2014 Copa Libertadores.

Weekend protests a reminder of Brazilian tension

Predicting the political climate in Brazil during the World Cup is a bit like trying to make a long-term weather forecast.

It is possible to identify a number of key features but the relationships between them -- which will determine the final outcome -- are much harder to preview with any degree of certainty.

One thing, though, would seem to be certain: There will be protests and demonstrations are planned outside every game played in the tournament.

That this is the case is the consequence of the mishandling of the organisation of the World Cup.

Back in the middle of the past decade, when it became clear that Brazil was going to be the host nation, there was no effective public debate about objectives and how much society was willing to pay to achieve them.

Indeed, promises were broken, such as that made by the then-president of the CBF (Brazil’s football association), Ricardo Teixeira, who said all of the money spent on stadiums would come from private resources.

Civil society had little chance to influence the way the tournament was being prepared. For years the Local Organising Committee had no participation at all from the people’s elected representatives; it was dominated by Teixeira and his cohorts.

All the petty-minded politicking and bureaucratic delays have had two clear consequences: The price of what needs to be done, such as building new stadiums, goes up, while the scale of what can be done goes down (urban mobility projects, the area where society had most to gain, have been particularly vulnerable in this case).

Even Carlos Alberto Parreira, a veteran coach and currently the coordinator of the Brazil national team, has been moved to comment.

Cautious by nature, in an interview with CBN radio he described the World Cup as "a wasted opportunity to show a different Brazil."

There is, then, plenty to protest about and on Saturday, in big cities all over Brazil, demonstrations were taking place in a day of action against the World Cup.

However, in comparison with the spontaneous mass protests which took place during the Confederations Cup last June, they were much smaller affairs, with a couple of thousand people in Sao Paulo and barely a hundred in some of the other cities.

Is it possible to identify a dynamic here? Might it be the case that, over the course of the protest movement, many of the less politicized Brazilians have been alienated by the activities of the radical wing? It is a possibility.

If so, this might mean that, in comparison with the scenes of last year, the World Cup protests will be more restricted to the activists.

The demonstration in Sao Paulo ended in clashes and confrontation, with images of a burning car proving a godsend for the press photographers. Might these events also scare off some of the millions who took to the streets last year?

Other dynamics are possible too. For example, the demonstrations last year were given extra impetus when film was shown of brutality by the Sao Paulo police. On Saturday it appears that one young protestor was shot and seriously injured by the security services.

What possible justification could there be for firing on demonstrators? Popular anger could rise as a result and, during the World Cup, with the international media looking for stories and an abundance of mobile phones that shoot images, there will be no place to hide if the police are guilty of truculent behaviour.

Moreover, coming up soon after the World Cup are the Brazilian elections which means that someone, somewhere will be looking to channel popular dissatisfaction with spending on the tournament into advantage at the ballot box.

The bigger the dissatisfaction, the greater will be the potential political gain. Some, then, have a vested interest in hitting the accelerator rather than the brake.

It’s just one more factor to throw into the mix as Brazil braces itself for a fascinating few months.

Libertadores: Morelia and Santa Fe vie for a spot in the group phase

Morelia of Mexico will welcome on Tuesday Colombian club Independiente Santa Fe in the first leg of the first stage of the 2014 Copa Libertadores, in which both teams vie for a place in the group stage.

The second leg will be played on February 4 in Bogota and the winner will be inserted in Group 4 where defending champion Atletico Mineiro of Brazil, Paraguayan club Nacional and Venezuela´s Zamora will be waiting for them.

Independiente Santa Fe is participating for the eighth time in the Libertadores. In this 2014 edition they are coming as the third team representing Colombia for best score in the reclassification table (annual), behind champion Atletico Nacional and Deportivo Cali.

Despite having to compete for a place in the group stage in the preliminary round, the ´Cardinals´ will face Morelia coming off a high as they debuted in their countries Clausura tournament with a 3-0 win over Itagüi.

"Morelia is one of the strongest teams in Mexico, they have a great squad. However, Santa Fe is not a push-over and with work we know we will be in the group stage," said Santa Fe midfielder Manuel Seijas.

For their part, Morelia has had a shaky start in the Mexican league. Out of a possible 12 points the "Monarchs" have only won four, a situation that led to the dismissal of Argentine coach Carlos Bustos just last Sunday.

Despite the dismissal of Bustos the Morelia side is confident they can get into the group stage for the third time in its history and become a protagonist in the tournament.

"With the squad we have, Morelia has the chance to fight for the crown. But now we have to win the first game to take an advantage to the second leg," said Uruguayan international Egidio Arevalo Rios, who in midfield plays with Colombian Aldo Leao Ramirez, who played for Independiente Santa Fe between 2000 and 2005.

Morelia count on another offensive weapon with another Colombian, Duvier Riascos, and Chilean Hector Mancilla.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 pm local time (01H15 GMT Wednesday) at the Morelos stadium in the city of Morelia (west), which holds 35,000 spectators.

The appointed referee for this match is Venezuelan Juan Soto. Assisting him will be his compatriots Jorge Urreco and Carlos López.

Probable starting lineups:

Morelia: Carlos Rodríguez - Rodrigo Salinas, Héctor Reynoso, Felipe Baloy, Antonio Olvera, Christian Valdez, Aldo Leao Ramírez, Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Jefferson Montero, Duvier Riascos, Héctor Mancilla. COACH: Roberto Hernández.

Independiente Santa Fe: Camilo Vargas - Sergio Otálvaro, Francisco Meza, Julián de la Cuesta, Yerry Mina, Daniel Torres, Edison Méndez, Manuel Seijas, Omar Pérez, Daniel Roa, Wílder Medina. COACH: Wilson Gutiérrez.

Pelusso: Nacional will "look for the win" against Oriente Petrolero

Uruguay´s Nacional will play Bolivia´s Oriente Petrolero on Tuesday in both team´s debut at the 2014 Libertadores Cup. Nacional will be going for the win according to their coach Gerardo Pelusso.

Twenty players departed from Carrasco Airport on Sunday with a travel itinerary that makes a stop in Buenos Aires and the arrival in Bolivia in the late afternoon.

"Football is made to be won. If you do it or not is another story," said Pelusso to reporters.

The coach said he is confident that Uruguayan Tabaré Silva, Petrolero´s coach, "will use all his options."

He also noted that "it is never easy to start, there is always the expectation to see what happens."

Five players couldn´t make the trip as they were charged by Uruguayan justice and prevented from playing for 60 months after starring in a brawl during a match against Peñarol.

The five players who are trying to get permission to play outside of Uruguay include Diego Arismendi, Santiago ´Morro´ Garcia and Ignacio González, despite all being on the list of 25 players for the first phase of the Libertadores.

The other two players, goalkeeper Leonardo Burián and Darwin Torres, were left off the squad.

In addition, keeper Gustavo Munúa -who last week arrived to the club from Fiorentina of Italy- is in doubt as his European documents have not arrived yet.

Pelusso said he has not decided on the starting 11 who will take the field against Petrolero in the Ramón "Tahuichi" Aguilera stadium.

The rematch will be held in Montevideo on February 4 and the winner of the tie will be put in Group 6 together with Newell´s Old Boys of Argentina, Atletico Nacional of Colombian and Brazilian club Gremio.

Nacional -3-time Libertadores champion- completed a promising preseason being champion in two international friendly tournaments played in Montevideo.

@ FF17

Elche reconoce gestiones para fichar al paraguayo Nelson Valdez

ELCHE -- José Sepulcre, presidente del Elche de la primera división española, ha asegurado hoy en rueda de prensa que la contratación del delantero paraguayo Nelson Haedo Valdez se encuentra en proceso de negociación.

"De momento no tenemos previsto que venga ningún otro jugador, aunque estamos negociando para incorporar un delantero. Valdez no está descartado; seguimos negociando con él", ha dicho Sepulcre.

Con respecto al fichaje del extremo Garry Mendes ´Rodrigues´, Sepulcre asegura que creen que "es un gran acierto", y que viene a ocupar "una demarcación que había que reforzar".

"Dejar su equipo de procedencia, en el que era titular indiscutible (Levsky de Sofía), para venir a una liga tan competitiva como la nuestra y a un equipo como el Elche es una apuesta arriesgada", ha añadido.

@ FF17

Pizzi: "La meta es lograr que la personalidad del técnico la tenga el equipo"

VALENCIA -- Juan Antonio Pizzi, entrenador del Valencia, ha expresado en declaraciones facilitadas por el club que su meta como técnico es conseguir que su personalidad la tenga también el equipo que dirige.

El entrenador valencianista ha explicado que prefiere "que el equipo juegue bien", ya que "el resultado muchas veces es una consecuencia del juego".

"A veces un partido que ganas 5-4 puede estar bien jugado, y otro que ganas 4-0 puede estar mal jugado, así que mi objetivo va más con la forma de conseguir el resultado que en el valor numérico del mismo", ha asegurado el técnico hispano argentino.

Pizzi ha recordado sus inicios como entrenador, y ha afirmado que considera que comenzó a ejercer como tal cuando tuvo su primera experiencia en solitario en Perú.

"Cuando me paré de frente a un grupo de jugadores por primera vez y me sentí cómodo, con autoridad, respetado incluso por las miradas de los jugadores, a partir de ahí me sentí ya como primer entrenador de un equipo", ha reconocido.

El técnico también ha aseverado que el año que pasó en Barcelona con Louis van Gaal aprendió "conceptos futbolísticos muy importantes" para su desarrollo como entrenador.

Asimismo, el entrenador del equipo valencianista ha explicado que en el ejercicio de su profesión le ayuda mucho "tener un buen grupo de trabajo en el que poder delegar con total confianza tareas que son sumamente importantes".

Pizzi ha indicado además que en la etapa actual de su carrera continúa aprendiendo "constantemente". "Es inalcanzable nuestro techo en cuanto a aprendizaje, porque está es la primera vez que me toca dirigir a mí en Europa, donde hay algunas diferencias con respecto a lo que es dirigir en Sudamérica", ha concluido.

Independiente recupera a Marcelo Vidal

BUENOS AIRES -- Ya recuperado de la tendinitis en la rodilla derecha, la participación de Marcelo Vidal en los entrenamientos aeróbicos fue la gran novedad de la práctica desarrollada en la mañana del martes en el predio de Villa Domínico.

Tras gozar del lunes libre, el plantel continuó con la puesta a punto física bajo la lluvia con el objetivo de llegar en condiciones al comienzo de la segunda ronda del Torneo de la B Nacional.

Quien trabajó diferenciado fue Juan Manuel Trejo quien todavía arrastra una distensión en la rodilla derecha, sufrida durante el amistoso ante Aldosivi desarrollado hace exactamente 14 días.

Por la tarde, quedaría definida la llegada de Federico Insúa, quien ya tiene arreglada la desvinculación con Vélez y negocia su nuevo contrato con el "Rojo".

Mientras tanto, a pesar de estar presente en la práctica matutina, es inminente la salida de Hilario Navarro. El arquero correntino, de poco lugar con el gran presente de Diego Rodríguez, tiene todo arreglado para ser nuevo jugador de Peñarol de Montevideo.

Independiente, tercero en el Torneo de la B Nacional, debutará oficialmente en el 2014 ante Brown de Adrogué. El partido se disputará el domingo 9 de febrero, a las 17:00 hs, en el estadio de Temperley.