Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia, with a championship past, and Emelec will be looking for a place in the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana this Tuesday, August 8.

The Falcon struck in Guayaquil to win 2-1 in a game that went to 86 minutes and was overturned with a flurry that left the Blues unresponsive.

Field change! Emelec will face Defensa y Justicia at the Único Diego Armando Maradona Stadium for the Copa Sudamericana

Because of this, the Ecuadorians will travel to the south of Buenos Aires with the obligation of at least a win to take penalties or a two or more goal difference for a direct ticket.

Winner of the Copa Sudamericana in 2020, the Argentine team collects six consecutive victories in this tournament, as they only lost in the first term of Group F against Millonarios in Bogotá (0-3) and then won their zone with authority against the Colombians, America from Minas Gerais and Uruguayan Peñarol.

DT of Emelec recognizes his team’s shortcomings after the draw against Libertad FC

On the other hand, Emelec agreed to accompany the last term of group B, and in the round of 16 they eliminated the Peruvian Sporting Cristal with a victory in Lima (1-0) and a goalless draw at George Capwell.

possible adjustments

Defense and justice: Enrique Bologna; Agustín Sant’Anna, Julián Malatini, Tomás Cardona and Alexis Soto; Nicolás Tripichio, Julián López (or Kevin Gutiérrez), David Barbona; Santiago Solari, Nicolás Fernández and Gastón Togni. DT: Julio Vaccari.

Emelec: Pedro Ortiz; Romario Caicedo, Luis Fernando León, Aníbal Leguizamón and Jackson Rodríguez; Michael Carcelén, Cristhian Valencia and Carlos Villalba; Samuel Sosa, Brayan Angulo (or Richard Borja) and Diego García. DT: Hernan Torres.

Despite the triumph of the guests, “nothing is defined”, said Julio Vaccari, the defense coach, after registering the first victory in the series.

Emelec comes after playing 0-0 as a guest against Libertad last Friday, in the match for the first term of the second phase of the Ecuadorian tournament.

Local, but far from home

At the request of the Conmebol, which demanded compliance with “the requirements established for the telecast of matches from this stage of the competition”, the Defense will leave its stronghold in Florencio Varela, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, and move to the Diego Maradona Stadium, in the city of La Plata, (60 km south) recently hosted the U-20 World Cup.

The match will be played on Tuesday at 21:00 in Argentina (19:00 in Ecuador), and the referee will be Brazilian Wilton Sampaio, while his compatriot Wagner Reway will be supervised by VAR.

The winner of this tie will next face the winner of the tie between Brasileirao leaders Botafogo and Guaraní, of Paraguay, with a partial 2-1 advantage for the Rio de Janeiro side, but the second leg will be played this Wednesday at Defensores de Chaco, in Asuncion. (D)