5. Defensor Sporting Vs. Nacional
Saturday, 2 pm ET
The Uruguayan Primera isn't a league on the radar screens of most people, but this match features two of Uruguay's biggest club and the league's current top two. If you're planning on checking out Copa Libertadores, South America's champions league this winter, it will be worth your while to get a look at sure-fire knockout round contender Nacional before the Copa action starts.
Nacional's captain, Alejandro Lembo is an important player at the back and veteran attacking midfielder Horacio Peralta should play a big part, but the guys to keep an eye out for are a couple of youngsters. Gigantic defender Sebastian Coates and leading scorer, forward Santiago Garcia are both just 20 years old. They're both very exciting players and are likely to move on to a bigger league after Nacional are done in next year's Libertadores. Garcia has 12 goals in 13 matches this season while Coates is 6'5" with great pace for his size.
Their opponents, Defensor Sporting, score through a bit more of a team effort. While Garcia has half of Nacional's 24 goals, Defensor's leading scorer, Rodrigo Mora, has just 33% of his team's 27 goals. Mora joined from smaller club Cerro where he enjoyed a good season last season. This year, he's been a breakout star with not only nine league goals, but six goals in Copa Sudamericana, making him tied for the scoring lead in that competition. Well traveled veteran striker Ignacio Risso and attacking midfielder Diego de Sousa assist Mora in a dangerous attack.
Strangely enough, the road teams have done well in matches between these two sides as of late. I like goals and a close match, let's call it a 2-2 draw.
See More:
