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Also known simply as Liga, they have risen to become the powerhouse of Ecuadorian football in recent years. They boast an impressive trophy haul including: 2008 Copa Libertadores Champions – the first Ecuadorian side to lift the trophy, 2008 Club World Cup runners-up, 2009 Copa Sudamericana champions, 2009 and 2010 Recopa Sudamericana champions as well as lifting their domestic league title in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Liga are a side that like to play attractive, attacking football and will look to make the most of their home advantage in the first leg. They move the ball up the field quickly and are always looking to penetrate the defence. Playing at almost 10,000 feet above sea level they may try to exploit the lack of altitude practice in their Chilean opponents by maintaining possession and grinding them down. Universidad de Chile are a team that enjoy keeping the ball and closing down quickly so it will be interesting to see how they cope in Quito.
Expected line-up: Dominguez; Reasco, Ambrosi, Araujo, Guagua; Calderon, Urrutia, Gonzalez, Hidalgo; Barcos, Bieler.
The main man up-top for the Ecuadorians is the Argentine Hernan Barcos. The pony-tailed centre forward has scored 38 goals in 62 league games for his side – that is an average of just over one every other game. He is a towering, powerful striker with great versatility. He can receive the ball in the air or at his feet, and either holds up the play to involve others, or turn and run at goal. He is extremely comfortable on the ball and his seven goals in this year’s Copa Sudamericana show he can hit the net on the continent. If supported by his compatriot Claudio Bieler in attack then it will be difficult for the Chileans to contain them.
In terms of promising youth, Liga possess an interesting attacking midfielder named Miler Bolanos. He has featured regularly since 2010 and is a tricky player who enjoys dribbling with the ball, similar to an unpolished Juan Mata. Now at 21-years-old he needs to work on his goal return and make his mark on the continental stage to have a chance of getting a high profile move. He is part of an side with huge experience and is one of a number of youngsters trying to break into the first team.
These experienced players will provide cool heads on another famous night in the club’s history. Luis Bolanos, Norberto Araujo, Claudio Bieler, Paul Ambrosi, Paul Urrutia, Enrique Vera and William Araujo all played in the 2008 Copa Libertadores triumph over Fluminense. This vast degree of experience flowing through the squad could prove invaluable. They have also added Ulises de la Cruz and Ezequiel Gonzalez to their ranks since, bolstering the squad with continental know-how.
If Liga add a second Copa Sudamericana title to their trophy cabinet they will need an impressive win at home before heading to Santiago for the second leg next week. Do not expect them to sit back, they will attempt to achieve a similar result to their first leg in the 2008 Copa Libertadores – a 4-2 win against Brazilian giants Fluminense.
The Chileans are a team whose recent improvements in fortune harken back to the club’s golden era in the 1960s. After being separated from the University with which it shares its name, the club was left with nothing but its fans, culminating in relegation in 1988. Since then the club has gone from strength to strength, winning the Chilean Apertura in 2004, 2009 and 2011. They are currently in the final stages of the Clausura, so there is a potential treble on the line. In 2010 they reached the Copa Libertadores semi-final with a team that included Walter Montillo and Mauricio Victorino (both now with Cruzeiro).
Under current coach Jorge Sampaoli there has been a return of the beautiful football that was dubbed “Blue Ballet” of the Universidad de Chile side in the 1960s. The Argentine sets his side out in a 4-3-3 formation, deploying two wide strikers. They have received abundant praise for the way they play football, drawing comparisons to the European Champions – Barcelona. All their players are comfortable on the ball, spreading the play across the field, allowing for attacks to formulate in any area. Currently on a 31-game unbeaten run, they are a strong team that have eliminated Nacional of Uruguay, Flamengo, Arsenal de Sarandi and Vasco da Gama on the road to the final.
Expected line-up: Herrera; O. Gonzalez, Rojas, Rodriguez, M. Gonzalez; Diaz, Arganuiz, Mena; Vargas, Canales, Castro.
At the centre of their attack will be the imposing Gustavo Canales. Despite being born in Argentina, the striker received his first cap for Chile in the 4-0 drubbing against Uruguay last month. After an impressive spell at Union Espanola in Chile, he was snapped up by the U and has become an integral part of the team. He links well with the wide strikers and has a keen eye for goal, always popping up in the right place. Back in June his second-leg hat-trick brought the U from a two goal aggregate deficit in the final of the Chilean Apertura to beat their historical rivals Universidad Catolica 4-1 and claim the title.
Their most exciting young prospect is the winger Eduardo Vargas. He is already being touted as the ‘next Alexis Sanchez’ though the Barcelona man is yet to really achieve anything in his career in Europe. They do play with a similar demeanour though. A bullish winger, the 22-year-old is eager to take on defenders with great strength and pace but he can also play through the middle. He is just shy of a 50% goal-to-game ratio with 16 strikes in 33 league appearances this year but he is the top scorer in the Copa Sudamericana with eight goals.
Sampaoli has constructed a squad with a good mix of youth and experience. Crucially, much of the experience lies in the defence, with Marcos Gonzalez, Osvaldo Gonzalez, Jose Rojas and Matias Rodriguez. Playing in front of keeper Jhonny Herrera, the U have only conceded two goals in the tournament proper, both coming away from home.
It will be fascinating to see whether the tournament’s most exciting team can win the first continental title in the club’s history. Though they have already qualified for next year’s Copa Libertadores, the prospect of a treble will no doubt motivate them to take the initiative in the first leg.
Read more from Tom at his excellent blog Purple Patch
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