2011 Copa Libertadores, Round Of 16, First Leg Preview: Internacional Face Test, All Eyes On Santos Vs. America

The first legs of the 2011 Copa Libertadores Round of 16 get underway on Tuesday night, and by the time Thursday night has passed, all eight ties will be halfway to completion. This round features some fantastic ties, including a test for defending champions Internacional and a couple of stellar matchups in the 8-9 and 7-10 seed pairings. The biggest match is almost certainly taking place in that 8-9 tie, as Brazil’s Santos FC faces off against Mexico’s Club America.

Gremio Vs. Universidad Catolica

Tuesday, 6:30 pm ET

Gremio were spectacular at home in the group stages, but definitely less than stellar on the road. They took all nine possible points at home and did not allow a goal, but they only managed to take one out of a possible nine points on the road, in a string of results that included an embarrassing 3-0 loss to Oriente Petrolero. They have struggled to replace star striker Jonas, who was sold to Valencia in La Liga, but their depth and solid defense has helped them get this far. They should be slight favorites against Universidad Catolica, but with emphasis on slight.

Universidad Catolica were favorites to advance to the knockout stages in Group 4, but they did it in much more impressive fashion than expected. They managed to finish ahead of Velez Sarsfield, who are serious contenders for the title in Argentina this season, and they bested the other Chilean side in the group, Union Española, by seven points. Their combination of big forward Lucas Pratto and small, quick forward Jose Luis Villanueva has been very good so far, and will be the main threat that Gremio has to deal with.

Velez Sarsfield Vs. LDU Quito

Tuesday, 8:50 pm ET

Upon first glance, Velez look like favorites. Attacking midfielder Maxi Moralez and striker Santiago Silva are among the most talented and most productive players in this tournament, and Velez are sitting near the top of the table in the 2011 Clausura. However, they only took one point out of a possible six from Universidad Catolica in the group stages, and they lost this weekend to Quilmes, who are a downright terrible team. The fact that Guille Franco hurt himself in his first game with the club doesn’t help things one bit.

LDU Quito are, incredibly, recent champions of this competition. They advanced out of a very difficult Group 8, they won the Ecuadorian Serie A last season, and they are once again at the top of the table in this competition. So, despite the smaller and lesser paid squad, are they really underdogs at all? Striker Hernan Barcos is in great form, while attacking midfielder Miller Bolaños is a star in the making. The (unrelated) veteran Ecuadorian international midfielder Luis Bolaños, who was a key part of their previous Libertadores triumph, is also playing well at the moment. Don’t sleep on LDU Quito, they could very well make another surprise run.

Jaguares de Chiapas Vs. Atletico Junior

Wednesday, 6:30 pm ET

This season hasn’t been a great one domestically for Jaguares. After last year’s impressive run to Liguilla, and as a result, Copa Libertadores, they’ve been poor in the Clausura. Only the inept play of Necaxa has saved them from getting relegated, and they’ll be in for a serious relegation battle next season. Their star striker, Jackson Martinez, has been injured for an extended period of time. Still, somehow, Jaguares advanced out of the group stages of this competition, and they managed to draw the smallest name of the top seeds.

Junior do not have any huge names, and their goal differential in the group stages was not particularly impressive. Despite the fact that they took 13 points en route to a first place finish, they only scored nine goals while allowing seven. That doesn’t seem sustainable, but against Jaguares, a team who is very much down on their luck, Junior’s luck could continue. Martinez is still injured, while forward Daniel Frias is suspended after getting red carded against Jorge Wilstermann. It’s tough to make a prediction on this tie, but whoever wins will be a serious underdog in the quarterfinals.

Estudiantes La Plata Vs. Cerro Porteño

Wednesday, 6:30 pm ET

Like a few other teams that have been mentioned above, Estudiantes have had recent struggles domestically. Once at the top of the table, they have now gone four straight matches without a win. The most recent poor performance came this weekend, as they lost at home to Colon. Enzo Perez did not play in that game, and Juan Veron is starting to show his age a bit. To beat Cerro Porteño, Estudiantes will need both of those players on the field, playing well. Estudiantes have played some brilliant and some terrible football so far this season, and their games are a serious crap shoot, even more so than Copa is usually a crap shoot.

Cerro Porteño’s comeback victory last week against Colo Colo to get into the knockout stages of the competition was absolutely fantastic, and it’s hard to say that they don’t deserve to be here, especially after their great start to the competition. Jonathan Fabbro was the hero last week, and he deservedly won the Copa Liberadores player of the week award. He’s been solid for them all tournament, as has striker Roberto Nanni, who should cause Estudiantes serious problems up top. This tie screams “anything can happen” more than any of the others, and as a result, is a must-see.

Once Caldas Vs. Cruzeiro

Wednesday, 8:50 pm ET

This is the only game that isn’t deserving of a serious, extensive look. Once Caldas got placed into the very soft Group 1, and they barely advanced out of it. Their 16th seed is a reflection of their quality relative to the remaining teams in the competition, and if they don’t get straight up trucked by Cruzeiro, it will be stunning. Veteran playmaker Roger, striker Thiago Ribeiro, and wide forward Wallyson are all on fire for Cruzerio, and they have an impressive group of youngsters capable of exploding at any time. Cruzeiro should win big on aggregate.

Santos FC Vs. Club America

Wednesday, 8:50 pm ET

No question, this is the marquee matchup in the Round of 16 in Copa Libertadores. Both Santos and America are loaded with big name firepower, but lack defense, so this tie should be a lot of fun. Santos’s biggest star, Neymar, is now known the world over for his incredible talent, but he’s not the only great player in a Santos shirt. Young playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso is spectacular and striker Ze Eduardo is very much a star in his own right, having supposedly agreed to a move to Genoa. Their right back, Jonathan, is also a fantastic attacking threat.

America probably lacks defense even more than Santos do, but their attack has been potent both in Copa and domestically. Angel Reyna has been in absolutely stunning form, scoring 12 goals in the Mexican Primera, while Vicente Vuoso and Vicente Sanchez have been competent up top as well. Daniel Montenegro is also starting to look more like a key piece in the side after a run of poor form, and he could be key for America. My only prediction for this tie: Expect goals.

Peñarol Vs. Internacional

Thursday, 6:30 pm ET

Peñarol might be the 14th seed in the knockout stages, but that’s not a solid indication of their quality, and it certainly doesn’t tell you anything about how hard it is for teams to play at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Though Peñarol had a shock home loss against Independiente in the group stages, they defeated LDU Quito and Godoy Cruz at home. Their defense has been very poor away from home, but on Thursday, Internacional will likely find them difficult to break down.

Internacional, the defending champions, lost major pieces to that team, but they have restocked and haven’t skipped a beat. Mario Bolatti has been great, along with tough defensive midfielder Pablo Guiñazu and club captain Bolivar. If they can notch a draw in Montevideo, they will be very heavy favorites heading home. Peñarol present a challenge for sure, but there’s no question that the defending champions are expected to make the quarterfinals.

Fluminense Vs. Libertad

Thursday, 8:50 pm ET

This game is very hard to preview, simply because I have no idea who will be available for Fluminense. There was a massive post-match brawl after they defeated Argentinos Juniors, for which I’m sure players were punished, but accurate suspension information is hard to come by. In any event, Flu looked very shaky throughout the group stages, needed a dodgy penalty to qualify, and lost to Flamengo (without Ronaldinho) this weekend in their state championship. It doesn’t look good.

Meanwhile, Libertad coasted through the group stages, drama free. Yes, their group was easy, but 14 points is 14 points. We all like no drama, no BS, and results. I like the 2nd seed to advance.