Half of the 2011 Copa Sudamericana’s Round of 16 is complete, with four teams having gone through to the next round last week. Velez Sarsfield, LDU Quito, Universitario and Arsenal di Sarandi are all through to the quarterfinals and await their opponents, which will be determined this week. All four of the competition’s remaining Brazilian sides play the second legs of their ties this week, and all are in some danger of getting knocked out.
Copa Sudamericana 2011, Round Of 16: Brazilian Sides Fight To Stay Alive
All four Brazilian sides in the competition are in danger of going out, while facing major fixtures in the domestic league on the weekend. Four sides have already punched their quarterfinal tickets, while La U are as good as through.
Santa Fe (Colombia) Vs. Botafogo (Brazil)
Tuesday, 8:00 pm ET
First Leg: 1-1
Botafogo were only able to muster a draw in the first leg of this tie at home in Brazil, and now face a tough task away in Colombia. They’re contending for Copa Libertadores spots in the Brasileirao, and they have less depth than their opponents for those places. With a weekend match against Cruzeiro looming, they’re going to have to seriously think about how they use their resources in the two matches. Santa Fe are in a similar situation, as they sit third in Colombia and face Once Caldas at the weekend. Watch out for former Pachuca man and Colombian international Yulian Anchico, a talented midfielder.
Vasco da Gama (Brazil) Vs. Aurora (Bolivia)
Wednesday, 5:10 pm ET
First Leg: 3-1 Aurora
Even more so than Botafogo, Brasileirao contenders Vasco seriously have to think about resting players ahead of their absolutely massive match against Sao Paulo. They weren’t shy about doing it in the first leg, and it seems fairly likely that they’ll do it again. For that reason alone, they probably won’t overturn their deficit.
Libertad (Paraguay) Vs. Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Wednesday, 7:50 pm ET
First Leg: 1-0 Sao Paulo
For completely obvious reasons, Sao Paulo are in the same predicament as Vasco. Unlike their weekend opponents, they played their first team against Libertad in the first leg, with Luis Fabiano scoring his first ever goal for the club. More likely than not, they’ll play a mixed first and second choice team with a solid bench. If things go south, put in the big guns. If they get an away goal, take off the stars. Libertad are not pushovers by any stretch of the imagination, though they could be looking towards domestic football as well. Victor Caceres, their star central midfielder and one of the best players in South American club football, was on the bench in the first leg.
Universidad de Chile (Chile) Vs. Flamengo (Brazil)
Wednesday, 7:50 pm ET
First Leg: 4-0 La U
Universidad de Chile won the first leg 4-0, in Brazil. Flamengo held nothing back, starting Ronaldinho, along with other impact players such as Deivid, Thiago Neves and Darío Bottinelli. Jorge Sampaoli’s entire team was absolutely brilliant and could have easily scored more goals as they completely embarrassed their hosts. La U are cruising domestically as well, so they don’t exactly need to rest anyone. They have a number of impressive youngsters coming up through the ranks, so they could see this as a great opportunity to get them playing time against a high quality opponent.
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