Thanks to the team from SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk ( Anthony Wright, Nicholas Rosano, Brian Maxwell, James Walker-Roberts and FOX Soccer's own Rupert Fryer) we know which of the tournament's 32 remaining clubs can be expected to be around after the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores. The competition starts in earnest on Tuesday. Here are their Group 3 and 4 snapshots:
| Snapshots | Groups 1-2 | Groups 3-4 | Groups 5-6 | Groups 7-8 |
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Without a team from Brazil or Argentina, Group 3 is unlikely to garner much international attention, which gives one of last year's quarterfinalists a chance to continue flying under the radar.
Universidad Catolica
Country: Chile Best Finish(es): Runners-up in 1993 Key Player: Felipe Gutierrez Expectations: Win the group and do damage in the knockout round FOX Soccer prediction: Group winner
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Catolica
have all of a sudden found themselves in the shadow of reigning
Copa Sudamericana champion Universidad de Chile, both domestically
and internationally. Make no mistake though, los Cruzados are a top
side. They boast both promising youngsters and experienced
veterans, despite the loss of longtime captain Milovan Mirosevic to
the Columbus Crew.
Junior
Country: Colombia Best Finish(es): Semifinalists in 1984 Key Player: Giovanni Hernandez Expectations: Make the next round FOX Soccer prediction: Second place
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Junior
have collected two of the last four Colombian championships and put
in a very good showing in last year's group stage. They have
retained much of the core that carried them to success in 2011,
though they will miss the prolific goalscoring of Carlos Bacca,
recently sold to Club Brugge in Belgium. Junior can also depend on
a strong midfield and defense. Veteran playmaker Giovanni Hernandez
will once again be back to pull the strings in midfield.
Union Espanola
Country: Chile Best Finish(es): Runners-up in 1975 Key Player: Sebastian Jaime Expectations: Compete for second place FOX Soccer prediction: Third place
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: A
balanced, seasoned team that finished third in last year's combined
table in Chile, Union Espanola don't boast too many star names.
Backed by an experienced defensive line, they will not be an easy
side to break down. Up front, Sebastian Jaime will be the focal
point of the attack alongside 22-year-old Jean Paul Pineda.
Bolivar
Country: Bolivia Best Finish(es): Semifinalists in 1986 Key Player: William Ferreira Expectations: Play spoiler once or twice at home FOX Soccer prediction: Fourth place
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Bolivia's
most decorated club, Bolivar qualified for the tournament after
winning Bolivia's truncated 2011 Torneo Adecuacion. As is usually
the case with teams from La Paz, this young side will have the
altitude to aid them, but they can also count on the goals of
Uruguayan striker William Ferreira and support from talented young
midfielder Rudy Cardozo. They should do well again in Bolivia but
may find themselves overmatched on the continental stage.
| Snapshots | Groups 1-2 | Groups 3-4 | Groups 5-6 | Groups 7-8 |
|---|
Like Group 1, Group 4 is top-heavy, containing two clubs that could develop into tournament favorites.
Boca Juniors
Country: Argentina Best Finish(es): Copa winners in 1977, 1978, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007 Key Player: Juan Roman Riquelme Expectations: To compete for a record-tying seventh title FOX Soccer prediction: Group winner, if barely
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk:
Boca Juniors return to the competition that defined the
finest epoch in the club’s history when Carlos Bianchi led
Los Xeneizes to three Libertadores Cups before Alfio Basile added a
fourth four years later. Current coach Julio Falcioni has
explicitly stated his desire to add his name to the list of
Boca’s Libertadores-winning coaches. Boca have a base as
solid as anyone else in the competition. Bolstered by the high
profile arrivals of Pablo Ledesma and Santiago Silva, Boca will
rightly be among the favorites with the bookmakers.
Fluminense
Country: Brazil Best Finish(es): Runners-up in 2008 Key Player: Fred Expectations: Make a deep run into the tournament FOX Soccer prediction: Second place
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Flu go
into this year’s Libertadores as a major force. Rafael Sobis
has been in fine form since arriving in Rio and, alongside Rafael
Moura, could offer considerable support to the prolific Fred. If
little Manuel Lanzini and new signing Thiago Neves can supply
enough bullets, Flu have the arsenal to fire themselves all the way
to the final.
Arsenal de Sarandi
Country: Argentina Best Finish(es): Group stage in 2008 Key Player: Carlos Carbonero Expectations: Not many, in this group FOX Soccer prediction: Third place
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk:
Founded just over 50 years ago, the club made their
Libertadores debut in 2008 and will be hoping to better their
performance this time around, having failed to qualify from a group
that contained both of that year’s finalists. They lost Mauro
Óbolo to Velez in the mid-season break but have signed an
extremely promising young Colombian in Carlos Carbonero from
Estudiantes who was sensational in the first leg of Arsenal’s
qualifier against Sport Huancayo. He, and his teammates, will have
to show cooler heads if they hope to emerge from Group 4.
Zamora
Country: Venezuela Best Finish(es): N/A Key Player: Dario Figueroa Expectations: None FOX Soccer prediction: Fourth place
Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Zamora make
their Copa Libertadores debut after sealing their ticket with the
2011 Venezuelan Torneo Clausura title. Captain Moses Galezo
revealed last month that he and his teammates were continuing an
adventure after appearing in last year’s Sudamericana, and
veteran Dario Figueroa is looking forward to the opportunity to get
one over on Boca (his former club) at La Bombonera.
For more on this year's Copa Libertadores as well as the rest of South American soccer, please visit SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk.
| Snapshots | Groups 1-2 | Groups 3-4 | Groups 5-6 | Groups 7-8 |
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