Gremio vs Universidad Catolica
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Today’s featured game is the Copa Libertadores match in Brazil between Gremio and Chilean giants Universidad Catolica. Gremio were fortunate enough to have a relatively easy group in the Copa Libertadores last round as they encountered various difficulties internally but their luck may have run out in this round as they host a Universidad Catolica side that strongly believes in themselves.
Gremio are a massive name in Brazil and they do boast some very good players. However, they’ve failed to really replace the departed Douglas da Costa and Jonas, who have both departed within the last couple of years, the latter quite recently. This has had an adverse affect on their ability to score goals. I mean, seriously – where are they going to come from? Andre Lima? Tempremental Carlos Alberto in midfield? They’ve done really well in the Copa Libertadores on paper but they’ve had the fortune of facing a massively changed Leon de Huanuco, an Oriente Petrolero side lacking in experience, and an Atletico Junior Barranquilla side that is not gifted in front of goal. Credit must go where it’s due to Gremio for winning most of their games, especially as they won all their home games. However, I would urge caution because I don’t think their record reflects how much they have actually struggled and that may be exposed tonight.
There’s a pretty good chance that ex-Barcelona striker Juan Antonio Pizzi could very much be the South American answer to Jose Mourinho. This guy has picked up Universidad Catolica from the shadow of their rivals and firmly planted them at the top of the tree in Chile, got them back into continental football, and has furthermore managed to take them into the next round from the group stage! It’s a truly remarkable feat for the Chilean club and they owe it all to Pizzi. They only lost one group stage game at home to Venezuelan side Caracas but were very strong in their other games. Indeed, they won two out of their three away games, bagging eight goals along the way so you can see how dangerous this side is on the road. The signing of ex-Porto midfielder Costa from CFR Cluj and old hand Mirosevic from Argentinos Juniors has massively bolstered the creativity in Catolica’s team and they generally score goals for fun as a result, although it’s worth noting that the latter of those two hasn’t featured much lately. Nonetheless, Catolica have a lot of belief in themselves and they do score goals and with Pizzi at the helm, I can’t possibly rule out a shock result here.
Brazilian sides notoriously struggle with tenacious Chilean sides and this game should be no different. Catolica aren’t the average Chilean side in the respect that they prefer to attack rather than defend away from home but that should make this game very interesting indeed. Considering that Gremio miss number one goalkepeer Victor and defenders Rodolfo and Lucio, the window of opportunity is certainly there for Catolica to take in their quest to claim a shock result. Catolica do miss Calandria and Pizarro for this game, regrettably, but have other attacking players capable of scoring here. The 1×2 market is one I wouldn’t touch here but for me, over 2.5 goals is very generously priced at 4/5 with the above in mind.
Team news – Gremio miss Rodolfo, Victor, and Lucio whereas Universidad Catolica miss Calandria and Pizarro.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Tuesday’s Picks
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
UEFA Champions League:
Schalke 04 vs Manchester United (7) 0-1
Copa Libertadores:
Gremio vs Universidad Catolica (5) 2-2
Velez Sarsfield vs Liga de Quito (6) 2-1
Austrian Liga 1:
Hartberg vs St.Polten (5) over 2.5 goals
First Vienna vs Grodig (6) over 2.5 goals
Austria Lustenau vs WAC/St.Andra (7)
Gratkorn vs Lustenau (6)
English Premier League:
Stoke City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (7) 2-0
Romanian Liga:
Rapid Bucharest vs Sportul Studentesc (6) 1-0
Singaporean S-League:
Home United vs Geylang United (6) 1-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!