Copa Libertadores, Round Of 16: America Vs. Santos, Estudiantes Vs. Cerro Porteño The Most Intriguing Second Legs

The field of the 2011 Copa Libertadores will be whittled down to eight teams this week, and almost every team has something left to play for in their Round of 16 tie. Two of the tournament’s biggest sides and pre-tournament favorites, Cruzeiro of Brazil and Velez Sarsfield of Argentina, are well in control of their respective ties against Once Caldas and LDU Quito. All of the other six are wide open, though, and this tournament’s unpredictable history suggests that not even Velez and Cruzeiro are totally safe. This week’s action kicks off with a lone Tuesday night game, as Club America “host” Santos FC at an alternative venue, thanks to a U2 concert at Estadio Azteca.

Club America Vs. Santos FC

Tuesday, 9:45 pm ET

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Mexico City anymore. America will be hosting their opponents in Queretaro, at a stadium whose usual tenant is neither in continental competition or the Mexican Liguilla playoffs, making it a good host for America while Bono and The Edge occupy the Azteca. America actually have to play a Liguilla match on Thursday (also in Queretaro), so Carlos Reinoso has to make sure he manages his squad’s fitness well. Creating a goal at “home” shouldn’t be a problem for America as they attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit, but keeping Santos off the scoreboard will be.

Santos have a lead thanks to a goal in the first leg by Paulo Henrique Ganso, who looks great after returning from a long term injury. All of the regulars for Santos like Ganso, Neymar, Elano, Arouca, Edu Dracena, Jonathan, and Ze Roberto should be fit to play, so America have a seriously tough task on their hands. Their talent is likely too much for the Super Eagles, and they should, at the very least, secure an away goal and make America score three times. This seems fairly unlikely.

Internacional Vs. Peñarol

Wednesday, 6:30 pm ET

Peñarol looked like they were going to be able to take control of this tie for a large chunk of the first leg in Montevideo, but a goal by Leandro Damiao has given the defending champions the advantage going into the second leg, as they have an away goal after a 1-1 draw. Internacional were the better side for most of the match and they played the much more ambitious brand of football, so look for them to do enough to secure passage into the quarterfinals.

Cruzeiro Vs. Once Caldas

Wednesday, 8:50 pm ET

This one appears to be very much in the bag for the No. 1 seed from Brazil. Cruzerio secured a 2-1 win in Colombia, and it seems very unlikely that Once Caldas will be able to recover and win outright in Brazil. Luis Alberto Nuñez scored in the 88th minute to give his team a small glimmer of hope, but there’s no reason to believe that Cruzeiro won’t be coasting into the quarterfinals come Wednesday night, especially since they were so dominant in the group stages.

Libertad Vs. Fluminense

Wednesday, 8:50 pm ET

Fluminense look to be in control of this tie after a 3-1 win at home last week, but Rodolfo Gamarra’s away goal could prove to be crucial for the Paraguayan side. A 2-0 win would send Libertad through to the next round, and while that result seems unlikely, it certainly isn’t outside of the realm of possibility. Libertad played in an easy group in the last stage of the competition, but they dominated that group. Those results aren’t meaningless just because they didn’t come against the highest level of competition, and they’re a team who is very capable of a 2-0 result at home against a very good team,

Universidad Catolica Vs. Gremio

Wednesday, 8:50 pm ET

If you’re going to watch one of the 8:50 matches on Wednesday, it should probably be this one. It’s no secret that UC are a very good team, but their 2-1 away in Brazil was a surprise. They were aided by a 34th minute red card to Borges, but their win was impressive nonetheless. However, if Gremio can keep 11 men on the field for 90 minutes, they’re very capable of getting a win in Chile to advance. They can’t simply throw caution to the wind, though. Lucas Pratto’s two goals in the first leg were no accident, and UC are great on the counter attack.

Cerro Porteño Vs. Estudiantes La Plata

Thursday, 7:15 pm ET

Estudiantes are not in good form, at least by their standards, in Copa Libertadores or domestically. Despite their wealth of attacking talent, they were unable to create a goal in the first leg of this tie at home, making Cerro Porteño slight favorites for the return leg in Paraguay. However, they will be without defensive midfielder Rodrigo Burgos, who was sent off in the first leg. Cerro Porteño played a cynical style of football in the first leg that included a high volume of hard fouls, and in that respect, they’re lucky they only had one man sent off. They’ll probably opt for a more open style of football in the second half, which should please the neutrals.

Atletico Junior Vs. Jaguares de Chiapas

Thursday, 9:45 pm ET

Jaguares de Chiapas didn’t look great at home in the first leg, and their 1-1 draw against Atletico Junior has certainly given the advantage to the Colombians. However, Jackson Martinez scored a second half goal to keep his team in the tie, and the Jaguares fans will have been thrilled to see their target man return to the pitch with a goal after a bad injury. While Junior are the favorites, primarily because of the presence of Giovanni Hernandez and John Viafara in the center of midfield, Jaguares are very much in the tie because of players like Martinez and Jorge Rodriguez, who can create goals out of nothing at any time.

LDU Quito Vs. Velez Sarsfield

Thursday, 9:45 pm ET

After Velez won 3-0 at home in the first leg, it will take an absolute miracle for LDU Quito to get back in this tie. Though, LDU Quito improbably won this competition in 2008 while Velez recently lost domestically to lowly Quilmes, so I guess crazier things have happened.