Snak

Gomez values CCL’s significance

TIJUANA, Mexico – Playing in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) has become something of a habit for Club Tijuana striker Herculez Gomez and he is excited to see it resume. The Xolos will pay a quarterfinal visit to one of his former clubs -- the LA Galaxy -- on Wednesday.

Over the last few years, Gomez has excelled in the competition. While a member of Santos, the United States international scored six goals in 2011-12, following it up a year later with three more.

The 31-year-old moved to Tijuana last summer and returned from a two-month injury layoff by netting a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Honduras’ Victoria on September 26, 2013.

Those goals brought Gomez’s career total in the CCL to 12, leaving him in a tie for fifth with former Santos teammate Oribe Peralta on the all-time scoring list. The 2010 Mexican Bicentenario joint-scoring leader with Puebla also became the only player to score more than one goal in each of the tournament’s last three editions.

For Gomez, the CCL is obviously quite unique.

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase yourself on a world stage,” Gomez told CONCACAF.com. “You get a chance to compete with some of the best teams on this continent and if you are lucky enough to win the tournament you go to the Club World Cup.”

If Club Tijuana was to become the next CONCACAF champion and earn an automatic place at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, Gomez would have a chance to participate in his second global club event. He appeared in both of Pachuca’s matches at the 2010 tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

Gomez believes such an achievement would play a role in the city of Tijuana’s growth and development.

“The economic backgroun and overall safety of the city has improved drastically and with the small amount of success that this club has already had it’s been such a huge influence,” he expressed. “So for us to compete in this tournament and do well and potentially make the Club World Cup would be something very special in a move in the right direction for the city as well.”

“I think for us, not only collectively but individually, it’s a huge honor to be able to represent Tijuana and our league on such a grand stage.”

Gomez credits much of Club Tijuana’s success to its fans, who have demonstrated tremendous passion for their favorite team.

“This team has always had pride in itself to work and we always continue to strive and better ourselves because of the support they (the fans) give us,” concluded Gomez. “It feels great to give back to them.”

Alajuelense looks to offense against Arabe Unido

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica -- Alajuelense enters the first leg of its CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) quarterfinal series against visiting Arabe Unido on Monday in an offensive frame of mind.

The Manudos have scored seven goals in their last two Costa Rican Verano outings with Honduras international Jerry Palacios netting four of them over that stretch.

Rising star Jose Guillermo Ortiz, 21, has tallied five times this season. And not to be forgotten is the veteran, Jonathan McDonald, who returned to the squad in January after two seasons with Kalmar in Sweden.

"I have, thank God, an abundance at the top and the same in midfield,” said head coach Oscar Ramirez about his scoring options. “That´s the part where I have perhaps made more variations and rotated the team more.

"We are looking for a more offensive game and up front the team is very credible."

In addition to the aforementioned trio, Alajuelense also features Alejandro Alpizar, Alejandro Aguilar and Johan Venegas on its list of attackers. All are healthy and -- with the exception of Alpizar -- have scored this year.

La Liga has found the back of the net on 21 occasions in 11 Verano matches. Ramirez has adjusted line-ups regularly in a bid to determine his optimum combination the CCL. Competition for places has been good for the squad.

"The truth is that it is not easy to be here in la Liga with so many good players,” said Palacios, who has 19 career goals in Costa Rican football. “The time that touches one must be seized and thank God I can contribute to the team. I never settle myself. I know that this is work and the group always supports me. The confidence is returning and I want more. We are going for more."

After winning a pair of CONCACAF Champions Cups (1986, 2004), this will be Alajuelense’s first-ever appearance in the CCL knockout rounds.

Tijuana’s Arce: Club WC would be “extraordinary”

TIJUANA, Mexico – For Mexico, he has appeared in qualifying cycles for three World Cups, now Club Tijuana’s Fernando Arce wants to play in the Club World Cup.

The midfielder will have the chance to do so, when the Xolos visit the LA Galaxy on Wednesday for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) quarterfinal series.

“It would be a big step to play a Club World Cup, representing Tijuana, representing Mexico,” Arce told CONCACAF.com. “For Tijuana, it would be extraordinary to be able to be in the next Club World Cup.”

For as extraordinary as that achievement would be, the club’s rise since its founding in 2007 has been equally meteoric.

In a little more than seven years, it has won Liga MX (2012 Apertura) and Liga de Ascenso (2010 Apertura) titles, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Copa Libertadores.

Success in the CCL would clearly be another significant achievement on a burgeoning list of honors.

“To win the Champions League represents a lot,” affirmed Arce, who played in the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Cup. “It would be another important step in my career, but we are going step by step. We have a difficult match against Los Angeles, but we are aware of what we are playing for and what we want, so for me, it means a lot to win it.”

The 33-year-old made a point to stress, though, that the team is only thinking about the Galaxy and not the later rounds.

“We are going to fight until the end,” he continued. “It is a tournament on which we are placing much importance because we know what it means and what it means to win it, and the first step for us to think about beating Los Angeles and then be in the next round.”

Arce also understands what lifting the CCL trophy would mean to the city of Tijuana, whose people have supported the Xolos with sensational passion and pride.

“It is the ultimate achievement that the city can have,” explained Arce. “We have already been champions of Mexican football and we want to transcend to the international level. We participated already in the Copa Libertadores and to play in a Club World Cup would be the icing on the cake. I think that it would be essential for the city of Tijuana.

“The importance that we have to give to that tournament should be the utmost because we know that the reward is big.”

Soccer roundup: Colo Colo destroys La Calera, leads league by 6 points

O’Higgins downs ‘La U’ to stay third while Católica’s win in Talca and Palestino’s home victory round-off perfect weekend for top four.

Unión La Calera 1-5 Colo Colo

Colo Colo blew away La Calera Sunday, led by imperious veteran striker Esteban Paredes whose double sees him lead the goalscorer rankings with nine goals in 10 games as the league moves beyond its halfway point.

This is the third time this term that Colo Colo has put five past opposition and the team has now won 28 out of 30 available points. Such an impressive start to a season has only occurred six times in Chilean soccer — most recently with Jorge Sampaoli’s continent beating Universidad de Chile side in 2011.

Should Colo Colo end the season undefeated — a tall order with matches against second placed Católica and third placed O’Higgins still to come — it would be the first time a team has done so since “Los Albos” were crowned champions in 1941.

However, bullish coach Héctor Tapia dismissed praise for equaling former Colo Colo manager Claudio Borghi’s 2007 point haul for the start of a season, insisting that silverware is the only thing that matters to him.

“Records are useless if we don’t win the tournament,” Tapia said following the victory. “Matches become more complicated toward the end of the competition … but we have gone about this championship game by game and we will not change — the most important thing now is [Saturday’s] game against Cobreloa.”

Colo Colo’s defence was all over the place in the opening exchanges Sunday, and La Calera could have scored twice in ten minutes were it not for keeper Justo Villar’s quick reflexes and a goal line clearance from defender Christian Vilches.

After the opening goal — a header from striker Felipe Flores on 32 minutes following a lovely floated free kick delivery from peerless playmaker Emiliano Vecchio — the visitors settled into merciless attacking rhythm.

Flores sent a cross into the box that drew a handball and Paredes sauntered up to the spot to bang home his team’s second on 43 minutes.

A disallowed goal did little to rock Colo Colo’s confidence, and after the break the team set about dismantling La Calera’s defence once again. Chile international José Fuenzalida switched fields with a lovely ball that found Flores who teed up Luis Pavez just inside the box. The midfielder lashed at the bouncing ball to send the goal of the match into the bottom right in the 56th minute.

Vecchio — Colo Colo’s outstanding midfielder this season with talent to burn — orchestrated the fourth with a delicate chip over the backline to unleash Fuenzalida on the right. The wideman unselfishly squared the ball to Pavez who couldn’t miss.

“Los Albos” were guilty of complacency following the fourth, and got caught on the counter following a turnover in midfield, though attacker Paulo Rosales’ goal on 76 minutes was followed shortly after by Paredes’ second from the spot after Vecchio won a penalty.

La Calera sinks to 10th in the standings.

Rangers 0-2 Universidad Católica

Following his team’s routine victory over Rangers on Sunday, manager Rodrigo Astudillo seemed upbeat about second-placed Católica’s chances of mounting a serious challenge for top spot as the season matures.

“We have 24 points which is a lot, and we are hoping Colo Colo eventually slips up,” the Chilean said following the match. “We have to keep winning, to keep the pressure on, and hopefully we’ll play them with a no great gap between us and our [title] aspirations intact.”

In the 18th minute, on-loan playmaker Darío Bottinelli struck a ball into the crossbar that bounced over the line, though both the linesman and referee remained unmoved, much to the consternation of the visitors. Rangers should have capitalized on the oppositions misfortunes with an immediate counter, though teen striker Nicolás Orellana blew his cool eight yards from goal for a “miss of the season” contender.

Bottinelli left no room for interpretation in the 28th minute, spanking in his team’s first following determined work from Álvaro Ramos down the right flank.

Rangers let Católica off the hook twice more with some embarrassing finish in the second half, and on 66 minutes substitute midfielder Milovan Mirosevic gave his team a two goal cushion which saw the game out.

The team from Talca is rooted to the bottom of the table with eight points from ten games.

O’Higgins 1-0 Universidad de Chile

Following defeat in a tight match with O’Higgins on Saturday, Universidad de Chile coach Cristián Romero officially declared his team was out of the title race, despite mathematically still being in with a chance.

“We have to be realistic — we’re too far off,” the new coach said after the match. “You have to be regularly adding points, and we’re not.”

“La U” last failed to win in four consecutive matches in all competitions seven months ago, and while the board indicated in January that no managerial changes will be made before the end of the season, stand-in coach Romero is unlikely to be in contention for a permanent position.

Meanwhile, the Sky Blues continue to wrack up the 1-0 shutouts of the kind that paved the way to last season’s title win under the stable stewardship of Eduardo Berizzo. Tapia will watch this tortoise closely as his hares bound forth.

A gorgeous free kick from defender Eduardo López sent “La U” sixth and O’Higgins seven points of the top in third.

Iquique 5-2 Cobreloa

In the twilight of his career, Iquique striker Manuel Villalobos is enhancing his reputation as one of the deadliest strikers of the last decade in Chile’s top flight. The 33-year-old journeyman started his career in 1997 for Colo Colo, and since then has scored just under a goal every other game for 10 clubs in two divisions. On Saturday against Cobreloa, Villalobos scored his second hat-trick of the Clausura and sits second in the goal scoring rankings this term.

Villalobos got his hat-trick under way in the 17th minute, pouncing on a deflected save after goalkeeper Sebstián Contreras had to keep his own player’s header out. Ten minutes later, the striker rifled in a frightening volley from outside the box.

While his second was the entertainer of the trilogy, the third goal was the most technically proficient, as the striker added power, dip and precision to a long range header that lobbed Contreras beautifully in the 50th minute.

Three minutes later striker Cristián Gaitán pulled one back for Cobreloa with a 30-yard ripper into the bottom left. Midfielder Pablo González restored his team’s three goal margin in the 69th, though once again Cobreloa hit back after midfielder Gabriel Méndez punished the home team’s laughable effort to clear the ball.

Just before the death, Iquique striker Gerson Martínez made a mockery of his marker while receiving a ball from deep and turned well to shoot beyond the Contreras to cap-off a cracking match with a blooper reel to boot.

Iquique is fifth while Cobreloa’s unexpected plummet down the table continues — the northern club is 16th.

Palestino 2-1 Huachipato

Fourth placed Palestino made it two wins on the trot with a victory over lowly Huachipato on Thursday.

The home team went ahead in the 46th minute, though striker Renato Ramos’ header was cancelled out by David Llanos’ tap-in in the 64th. Ramos played a part in his team’s second, standing tall to nod a long ball into the path of César Valenzuela who struck a show stopping volley into the side netting to win the game.

Fourteenth-placed Huachipato will hope to shrug off this disappointment and build confidence ahead of its Copa Chile final against Iquique in April.

Unión Española 3-2 Audax Italiano

Española came out on top in a thrilling five goal encounter with mid-table Audax on Thursday.

Striker Gustavo Canales gave Española the lead early on in with a tap-in in the sixth minute, though a spirited Audax outfit would not lay down and continued to load the box on set pieces. The equalizer soon came as young striker Felipe Mora received a headed return into the box and finished from close range with a bicycle kick.

If Mora’s effort was stylish, Carlos Salom’s own “Chilena” was top-draw as the midfielder lashed the ball over his shoulder into the side netting from 15 yards out to restore Española’s lead just before the break.

On the hour mark, Mora finished from close range after a deflected — you guessed it — bicycle kick fell kindly for him, though Canales once again showed his poaching skills to net the winner from close range in the 88th minute.

Transition tournament champion Española rises to eighth while Audax sinks to 12th in the league.

Cobresal 2-0 Everton

Following two victories in a row, Everton went back to losing ways Sunday with a sixth defeat of the season at the hands of mid-table Cobresal.

Striker Ever Cantero bagged both his team’s goals. The first came from the spot in the sixth minute, and on the hour mark a lacklustre free kick into the box was met with even less spectacular defending, allowing Cantero to connect with an accurate header.

Cobresal is 11th while Everton is 15th in the Clausura.

Universidad Concepción 1-1 Antofagasta

Concepción and Antofagasta shared the spoils in a scrappy encounter at Estadio Yumbel on Saturday.

The home team went ahead in the 18th minute after striker Pedro Muñoz capitalized on goalkeeper Luis Godoy’s bizarre decision to leave his line while still under the protection of his defenders, though Antofagasta leveled through forward Juan Lorca’s stunning volley from an improbable angle down the left.

At seventh in the league, Concepción is enjoying its second consecutive season back in the top flight, while Antofagasta is less comfortable in 17th.

Santiago Wanderers 1-1 Ñublense

Lining up in the sparkly new Estadio Elías Figueroa in Valparaíso on Thursday, 10th placed Ñublense and 11th placed Wanderers shared identical form sheets of two wins and two losses in their last four games, and proceeded to cancel one another out across the pitch on course to a 1-1 draw.

Goalkeeper José Lafrentz will not be watching the highlights following his blunder that gave mid table Ñublense the lead. Striker Luciano Vásquez sent a tame header directly at the keeper in the 12th minute, though Lafrentz panicked and palmed the ball into his own net.

The equalizer, however, was all class, as star forward Marcos Sebastián Pol nodded in a beautiful looping header after falling backwards to reach a difficult assist.

Clausura upcoming fixtures:

March 14, 8 p.m.: Huachipato vs. Cobresal

March 15, 4 p.m.: Cobreloa vs. Colo Colo

March 15, 6:30 p.m.: Universidad de Chile vs. Iquique

March 15, 9 p.m.: Ñublense vs. Audax Italiano

March 16, 4 p.m.: Rangers vs. Antofagasta

March 16, 6:30 p.m.: O’Higgins vs. Universidad Concepción

March 17, 8 p.m.: Everton Unión vs. La Calera

March 19, 7 p.m.: Santiago Wanderers vs. Universidad Católica

March 26, 6 p.m.: Palestino vs. Unión Española

** Española’s week 11 game is delayed to March 26 due to Copa Libertadores scheduling**


mål

http://www.cdf.cl/videos/

Blanco dijo que Merlo es "inteligente" y sabrá si debe marcharse

BUENOS AIRES -- El presidente de Racing Club, Víctor Blanco, consideró que el entrenador Reinaldo Merlo es "inteligente" y sabrá cuándo será el momento indicado para dar un paso al costado si no consigue revertir el delicado momento que atraviesa el equipo en el torneo Final.

"Merlo es inteligente y si no puede dar vuelta este momento dará solo un paso al costado. Quiere mucho a Racing y vino por la gloria, lo va a proponer él. Ese tema nos lo va a hacer fácil, es un señor y no tengo dudas que va a actuar de esa manera", afirmó el máximo dirigente de la entidad de Avellaneda.

Así como lo hicieron en distintos momentos de este año su pares de River Plate y Boca Juniors, Rodolfo D´Onofrio y Daniel Angelici, con respecto a la continuidad de Ramón Díaz y Carlos Bianchi, esta vez fue Blanco quien marcó el terreno en un contexto que tiene a Racing en el fondo de la tabla y mirando de reojo nuevamente los Promedios.

En diálogo con Radio La Red, acerca de los promedios Blanco indicó: "No estoy preocupado con el tema, sino ocupado con eso. Por supuesto que estoy pendiente y siempre lo dije. Es un tema que tenemos que mirar de cerca, pero no tengo dudas que vamos a revertir este presente".

Mientras tanto, el mediocampista Francisco Cerro sufrió un desgarro en el isquiotibial de su pierna derecha y se perderá al menos los próximos dos partidos.

Cerro, quien llegó como refuerzo para el presente torneo Final donde Racing acumula cinco derrotas en los últimos seis partidos, no podrá estar en los vitales encuentros ante Newell´s y Belgrano de Córdoba, y es muy probable que tampoco llegue en condiciones al choque con Atlético de Rafaela.

El tandilense nacionalizado italiano Mauro Camoranesi, quien lo reemplazó en la derrota del pasado domingo ante Boca por 2-1 en el Cilindro de Avellaneda, es quien tiene mayores chances de ocupar el lugar del ex futbolista de Quilmes y Vélez Sarsfield el domingo en Rosario.

También podría ingresar Diego Villar, quien se recupera de una contractura, y pasar Bruno Zuculini a la zona de contención.

Por último, Blanco admitió que se reunirá con el presidente de San Lorenzo, Matías Lammens, para sellar la incorporación del defensor Pablo Alvarado, por el cupo diponible debido a la lesión del colombiano Wason Rentería.

"Veo que tenemos un plantel corto, a pesar de que acompaña y deja todo. Tenemos muchos chicos de abajo, prácticamente no pudimos incorporar en el mercado pasado, ya que se lesionó (Wason) Rentería, y creo que cerraremos todo para contar con el nuevo jugador este mismo miércoles", manifestó.

Paraguay Division Profesional Wrap: Nacional Asuncion into second

Nacional Asuncion defeated Cerro Porteno 1-0 to jump into second in the Paraguay Division Profesional, as Libertad won again.

Libertad maintained their unbeaten start to the Paraguayan top tier with a 5-1 thrashing of Deportivo Capiata on Monday but finished round four with a new main rival at the top of the table, as Nacional leapfrogged Cerro Porteno on Saturday.

With Libertad set to play the final match of the round, both Cerro Porteno and Nacional had the opportunity to claim a temporary lead in Paraguay when they faced off at the Estadio General Pablo Rojas.

Cerro Porteno had won the past three matches between the two teams and had yet to suffer defeat in the Division Profesional´s 2014 Apertura campaign.

But after a goalless first half, Nacional scored the only goal of the game six minutes into the second period with Julian Benitez getting free in the penalty area to send a diving header past the home side´s goalkeeper Diego Barreto.

The victory took Nacional to nine points, while Cerro Porteno (seven points) slipped to third.

In Capiata, Libertad moved ahead of Nacional by a point to regain top spot after a stunning first half set up their victory over the hosts.

Jorge Recalde, Gustavo Gomez and Claudio David Vargas all scored in the first half for Libertad, while Rodrigo Lopez and Ivan Ramirez struck in the opening eight minutes after the break to give the visitors a five-goal lead.

While Cristian Andersen scored for Capiata in the 70th minute, Libertad were always in control and made it three wins and a draw from four games so far this season.

Rubio Nu moved to fourth spot on Sunday, level with Cerro Porteno on points, goal difference and goals scored, after a 2-1 win against Olimpia.

In a bad start for Pablo Caballero´s Rubio Nu side, Olimpia took the lead in the 15th minute through Esteban Ramirez´s penalty but the hosts equalised just after the half-hour mark thanks to Claudio Correa´s header.

Correa was the hero for Rubio Nu in the second half as he scored the winner in the 71st minute, running onto a through ball before firing a left-footed shot into the net.

In other results, Guarani crushed Sportivo Luqueno 4-1, Sol de America cruised to a 3-0 victory against 12 de Octubre and 3 de Febrero held General Diaz to a 1-1 draw.

CONCACAF Champions League: Alajuelense 0 Arabe Unido 0

Goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd was the hero for Arabe Unido as the Panamanian club claimed a 0-0 draw at Alajuelense in the CONCACAF Champions League.

In the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final on Monday, Arabe held on for an important draw in Costa Rica with Lloyd making eight saves as the home side dominated the match.

Alajuelense took 21 shots for the game, including 11 from inside the penalty area, but their profligacy and Lloyd´s impressive reflexes ensured the visitors from Panama will start next week´s second leg with plenty of confidence.

Arguably, Lloyd´s best save came in the eighth minute when he dived full stretch to his left to palm Jonathan McDonald´s drive away.

Arabe took just seven shots, although they were also wasteful with just one of their five attempts from inside the area testing the home team´s goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton.

Alajuelense had claims for a penalty in the second half when Jerry Palacios´ strike appeared to connect with the hand of a visiting defender but the referee ignored the home side´s pleas and the match ended scoreless.

Monday´s result means a score draw in Costa Rica next week would send Arabe through on the away goals rule.

Alajuelense will need to win to advance, unless the tie remains scoreless for 180 minutes.

Then Alajuelense could either win in extra-time - where the away goals rule does not count in the CONCACAF Champions League - or triumph on penalties.

Argentina Primera Division Wrap: Velez Sarsfield close in on top

Velez Sarsfield moved within a point of leaders Colon in the Argentina Primera Division, while San Lorenzo failed to claim first place.

Colon dropped points at home for the second game in a row, as they were held to a scoreless draw by Gimnasia La Plata, but San Lorenzo missed the chance to overhaul the Argentine league leaders as they drew 1-1 with Godoy Cruz.

Those results opened the door for Velez Sarsfield and Jose Oscar Flores´ men walked straight through, coming from behind to crush 10-man Belgrano 3-1, with the Primera Division´s top goalscorer Mauro Zarate playing a starring role.

The win took Velez to second spot with 13 points, one behind Colon, while they lead San Lorenzo on goal difference.

After Guillermo Farre had given Belgrano a 1-0 half-time lead on Saturday, Velez struck back three minutes into the second half when Zarate burst onto Hector Canteros´ well-weighted pass into the right channel and thrashed the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

Zarate had a fine second half and helped put the hosts in front just after the hour-mark, dribbling into the box from the right wing before cutting the ball back for Agustin Allione to score.

Velez scored their third goal on the counter-attack in the 89th minute as Allione linked with Sebastian Dominguez, who found Lucas Pratto on the overlap and the 25-year-old rounded Belgrano´s goalkeeper before slotting the ball home.

After a brilliant start to the Torneo Final in Argentina, Colon, who finished last in the Torneo Inicial campaign, have begun to stall as they were outplayed by Gimnasia to notch a second draw in four days.

The visitors had 54 per cent of possession on Saturday and took 12 shots to the six of Colon, who drew 1-1 with Godoy Cruz on Tuesday.

Godoy Cruz came from behind to draw with Colon midweek and had to do the same thing against San Lorenzo on Sunday.

After Godoy Cruz had the better of the first half at home, the visitors took the lead in the 83rd minute through Nicolas Blandi, which would have seen San Lorenzo overhaul Colon in the league table, only for Facundo Castillon to convert a stoppage-time equaliser for the hosts.

The draw kept Godoy Cruz in fifth position in the table with 11 points, one behind fourth-placed Estudiantes, who drew 0-0 with Atletico Rafaela.

With four of the top five drawing, River Plate and Boca Juniors´ respective drives up the table continued after wins over Arsenal (1-0) and Racing Club (2-1) respectively.

River (11 points) moved to sixth, while Boca (10) are one position further back in the standings.

On Monday, All Boys overcame Quilmes 2-1 while Tigre scored a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at Rosario Central.

In other results, Olimpo defeated Newell´s Old Boys 1-0 and Lanus won 2-0 at Argentinos Juniors.

mål

http://www.youtube.com/w…tHfPNvc2Sgw

The Copa Bridgestone Libertadores returns with six matches

The Strongest vs. Vélez

The Strongest welcomes to La Paz on Tuesday Argentinian club Vélez Sarsfield, leader of Group 1. Vélez will come with an alternate team in this third round match of the group stage.

The Bolivian squad sits on three points after a win against Universitario of Peru and a loss to Brazilian club Paranaense. Vélez is leading the group with six points after beating Universitario in Lima and Paranaense at home.

The match will start at 8:15 pm local (00h15 GMT Wednesday) at the Hernando Siles stadium.

The match will be called by Chilean referee Julio Bascuñan, accompanied by his compatriots Francisco Mondria and Marcelo Barraza.

Probable teams:

The Strongest: Daniel Vaca - Enrique Parada, Jefferson Lopes, Marcos Barrera, Diego Wayar - Nelvin Soliz, Raúl Castro, Alejandro Chumacero, Ernesto Cristaldo - Pablo Escobar and Boris Alfaro. COACH: Eduardo Villegas.

Vélez Sarsfield: Alan Aguerre - Matías Pérez Acuña, Juan Sabia, Facundo Cardozo, Gonzalo Piovi - Leonardo Rolón, Leandro Desábato, Leandro Vera, Jorge Correa - Brian Ferreira and Roberto Nanni. COACH: José Flores.

Atlético Nacional vs. Nacional of Uruguay

Atletico Nacional of Medellin look for a win in tough Group 6 on Tuesday when they welcome Nacional of Uruguay, who will not be coming with their starting team.

Atletico, which lost 3-0 in the previous round on their trip to Gremio of Brazil, will feature their top players for the match against the charrúas.

Group 6 is led by Gremio with six points, followed by Argentinian club Newell´s with three and Atletico Nacional with three, while Nacional sit on zero points.

The match will be played at the Atanasio Girardot stadium starting at 7:15 pm local time (00:15 GMT).

The match will be directed by Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, accompanied on the lines by his countrymen Marvin Torrentera and Hector Delgadillo.

Probable teams:

Nacional (Colombia): Luis Martínez - Daniel Bocanegra, Steffan Medina, Óscar Murillo - Alexander Mejía, Diego Arias, Alejandro Bernal, Juan David Valencia, Edwin Cardona, Sherman Cárdenas - Fernando Uribe. COACH: Juan Carlos Osorio.

Nacional (URU): Jorge Bava, Pablo Álvarez, Rafael García, Jorge Curbelo, Alfonso Espino, Maximiliano Calzada, Diego Arismendi, Hugo Dorrego, Ignacio González, Carlos De Pena and Santiago García. COACH: Gerardo Pelusso.

Emelec vs. Leon

Ecuador´s Emelec will try to stop undefeated Leon of Mexico on Tuesday in Guayaquil in Group 7.

Leon is leader of the group with 4 points, obtained by winning against Flamengo 2-1 and drawing 1-1 with Bolivar.

Behind Leon is Flamengo and Emelec, both with 3 points, and Bolivar with 1.

The match will start at 9:30 pm local time (02h30 GMT on Wednesday), and will be refereed by Venezuelans José Argote (central), Carlos Lopez and Jairo Romero.

Posible starting teams:

Emelec: Esteban Dreer - John Narváez, Jorge Guagua, Cristian Nasuti, Oscar Bagüí - Oswaldo Lastra, Fernando Giménez, Pedro Quiñónez, Angel Mena - Marcos Caicedo and Denis Stracqualursi. COACH: Gustavo Quinteros.

Leon: William Yarbrough - Juan González, Rafael Márquez, José Cárdenas, Yonny Magallón - José Vázquez, Carlos Peña, Elías Hernández, Eisner Loboa - Luis Arturo Montes and Matías Britos. COACH: Gustavo Matosas.

Defensor vs. Cruzeiro

Uruguay´s Defensor Sporting receive on Tuesday Brazilian football champions Cruzeiro in a Group 5 matchup in which both seek a victory that will allow them to break the parity in the series.

The two teams have one win and one loss in the group, the same as Peruvian club Real Garcilaso and Universidad de Chile.

The match will be held at the Luis Franzini Stadium in Montevideo starting at 7:00 pm (22H00 GMT).

The match referee will be Argentina Diego Abal and his compatriots Gustavo Rossi and Ernesto Uziga.

Probable teams:

Defensor Sporting: Martín Campaña - Emilio Zeballos, Nicolás Correa, Matías Malvino, Robert Herrera - Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Mathías Cardaccio, Andrés Fleurquin, Felipe Gedoz - Nicolás Olivera and Ignacio Risso. COACH: Fernando Curutchet.

Cruzeiro: Fábio - Ceará, Dedé, Bruno Rodrigo, Egídio - Rodrigo Souza, Lucas Silva, Ricardo Goulart, Éverton Ribeiro - Dagoberto and Marcelo Moreno. COACH: Marcelo Oliveira

Garcilaso vs. U. de Chile

The Peruvian runners-up Real Garcilaso welcome on Tuesday Universidad de Chile in the 3,200 meters of altitude in the city of Huancayo with the urge to add points to stay alive in Group 5.

The match will be played at the IV Centenario City stadium in Huancayo starting at 9:30 pm local (02h30 GMT Wednesday) and will be refereed by Colombian Wilmar Roldán, assisted by his compatriots Humberto Clavijo and Eduardo Diaz.

Probable teams:

Real Garcilaso: Juan Pretel - Joel Herrera, Gonzalo Maulella, Jaime Huerta, Cristian García - Carlos Flores, César Ortiz, Edwin Retamoso, Ryan Salazar - Ramón Rodríguez and Víctor Ferreira. COACH: Fredy García.

Universidad de Chile: Luis Marín - Osvaldo González, Matías Caruzzo, José Rojas - Francisco Castro, Juan Rodrigo Rojas, Roberto Cereceda, Ramón Fernández, Gustavo Lorenzetti - Patricio Rubio and Rodrigo Mora. COACH: Cristián Romero.

Anzoátegui vs. Santos Laguna

Anzoategui of Venezuela with their future at stake will play host to Mexico´s Santos Laguna on Tuesday for Group 8.

They will not have it easy against a Santos Laguna that has two victories already and is very close to qualifying to the next round.

The match will be played in Puerto La Cruz starting at 00H15 GMT. The Bolivian referee team will be Raul Orosco, Efrain Castro and Javier Bustillos.

Probable teams:

Anzoátegui: Edixson González - Jhonny Mirabal, Ezequiel Parnisari, Alejandro Cichero, Carlos Lujano - Ricardo Martins, Emmanuel Calzadilla, José David Moreno, Rolando Escobar - Edwin Aguilar and Framber Villegas. COACH: Juvencio Betancourt.

Santos Laguna: Oswaldo Sánchez - José Abella, Rafael Figueroa, Oswaldo Alanís, Jonathan Lacerda - Ribair Rodríguez, Néstor Calderón, Juan Pablo Rodríguez, Mauro Cejas - Darwin Quintero and Oribe Peralta. COACH: Pedro Caixinha.

La Barra de Quilmes protagonizó graves incidentes antes del partido

BUENOS AIRES -- Dos facciones de la barrabrava de Quilmes protagonizaron graves incidentes en las tribunas del estadio José Luis Meizner, en la previa del partido contra All Boys, correspondiente a la séptima fecha del Torneo Final, en los que tres personas resultaron heridas, una de ellas con un arma blanca.

Los heridos fueron trasladados al hospital Isidoro Iriarte, de Quilmes, donde recibieron asistencia médica.

Si bien finalmente hubo dos detenidos, la actitud de la policía fue pasiva en la cabecera local, donde entre otros hechos violentos tuvo lugar una feroz y sostenida golpiza por parte de al menos diez hombres contra un hincha caído.

En el ataque, algunos utilizaron palos de las banderas y hasta un cajón de cerveza.

La paliza se extendió hasta el hartazgo, y los agresores tuvieron la impunidad suficiente para arrastrar a la víctima escalones abajo, frente a las cámaras de televisión, donde mantuvieron un acalorado intercambio de palabras con personas que se ubicaban dentro del campo de juego.

Luego se produjeron corridas en las adyacencias del estadio Centenario, lo que llevó al árbitro tucumano Andrés Merlos a analizar la posibilidad de suspender el partido, pero el jefe del operativo policial le dio garantías si se jugaba con la cabecera desocupada.

Si bien el origen de los incidentes se desconoce, desde hace años existe en Quilmes un enfrentamiento entre dos facciones, la denominada "banda de Dedo (Osvaldo Becerra)" contra la "banda de Ramiro (Bustamante)".

Estas diferencias surgieron a raíz de la disputa por el reparto de dinero y entradas.

El informe del árbitro podría deparar la suspensión del estadio de Quilmes, de cara al encuentro con Boca Juniors, por la novena fecha.