2011 Copa Libertadores Quarterfinals: Velez Sarsfield, Universidad Catolica Look To Stay Hot

The 2011 Copa Libertadores is down to the quarterfinal stage, and while some giants have been upset, the competition still includes two of the most in form teams in all of South America. Both Velez Sarsfield and Universidad Catolica top the table in their domestic leagues, and they were both extremely impressive in the last round of this competition. Along with the likes of Santos FC of Brazil, they make up a strong final eight that should produce some entertaining action.

Peñarol Vs. Universidad Catolica

Wednesday, 6:30 pm ET

Both Peñarol and Universidad Catolica are teams who are very adept at counter-attacking down the wings, and their play in that department is what has gotten both this far. UC are in great form and they rested all of their players at the weekend, so it will be interesting to see if Peñarol adapts against a team that plays the same style with slightly more talented and in-form players.

Once Caldas Vs. Santos FC

Wednesday, 8:50 pm

After losing away to Cruzeiro, Once Caldas appeared to be bowing out of the competition. Miraculously, they pulled off a big win in Brazil, and now they’re set to face another Brazilian giant in the quarterfinals. Santos are certainly the more talented team in this tie, but they will be without Paulo Henrique Ganso, who is injured and out for the next month. It remains to be seen how much of an impact that will have on Santos.

Velez Sarsfield Vs. Libertad

Thursday, 7:15 pm

Velez, like UC, rested some stars in their most recent domestic game. Maxi Moralez only played 30 minutes, while forwards Santiago Silva and Juan Manuel Marquez were left out entirely. Those players will need to be rested against Libertado, who did brilliantly to record a huge comeback win against Fluminense in the last round. They won their second leg match 3-0 to go through on aggregate 4-3, and they could have scored many more times.

Jaguares de Chiapas vs. Cerro Porteño

Thursday, 9:30 pm

Jaguares produced a miracle result in a fantastic comeback against Atletico Junior, but one of the resulting externalities from that thrilling game is the suspension of Jaguares star striker Jackson Martinez, who was shown a straight red card for fighting. Even without him, Jaguares will attack and attempt to bring Cerro out of their shell. In their Round of 16 tie, they sat back for 210 minutes to force penalties, which they went through on.