After a Round of 16 that really had it all, CONMEBOL embarrassments, great goals, red cards, last minute comebacks, underdog stories, penalty shootouts and even more, the stage for the Libertadores quarterfinals is now set.
Atletico Tucuman (ARG) Vs. Gremio (BRA)
Atletico Tucuman, a small club from Argentina, surprised everyone by eliminating Atletico Nacional. El Decano had to fight with everything they had but in the end, they achieved a historical win for a team that in 2015 was in the Second Division. Gremio also had to struggle until the last minute. Down 2-3 in the series, Alisson scored a header in the 92nd minute to send the game straight to penalties where Gremio won 5-3.
My prediction for this series is that Gremio comes out with a win in Argentina, thanks to the individual prowess of players like Everton and Luan (even though Luan struggled a bit in the Round of 16, his presence has to be acknowledged). Kannemann and Geromel, probably the best defender duo in Latin-America, will have no problem containing Leandro Diaz and thus Gremio will end Atletico Tucuman’s cinderella story.
Score Prediction: 1st Leg: Atl. Tucuman 0-2 Gremio. 2nd Leg: Gremio 3-1 Atl. Tucuman
Independiente (ARG) Vs. River Plate (ARG)
Both clubs here received help from the CONMEBOL in the Round of 16. After some days of confusion an uncertainty before the 2nd leg, CONMEBOL gave Independiente a 3-0 victory over Santos in the 1st leg for the bad inclusion of Carlos Sanchez (a similar case to that of Cheryshev, in the Copa del Rey) and also let River get away with the bad inclusion of Bruno Zuculini. The only difference in the cases being that Independiente complained within the 24 hour range. Still, River destroyed Racing in the Monumental 3-0 so their victory was well deserved while Independiente’s was an embarrassment as they clearly did not win on the pitch.
Now for the quarterfinals, I predict an even series, with both goalkeepers (Armani, River; Campaña, Independiente) being among the best in America and both teams that know very well how the other plays. River will be without midfielder Enzo Perez after his dumb red card for mocking Racing’s Ricardo Centurion which resulted in a brawl. (A moment worth taking a look at).
NUNCA HAY QUE OLVIDAR QUE CENTURIÓN CORRE AL CAGON DE ENZO PEREZ EN SU PROPIA CANCHA pic.twitter.com/DZdeLAxivV
— BOCA JUNIORS 💙💛💙 (@hinchanro12) August 30, 2018
In the end, I think Gallardo’s experience in head to head duels will show and River will advance to the Semifinals, but not without a few scares.
Score Prediction: 1st Leg: Independiente 2-1 River. 2nd Leg: River 2-0 Independiente
Boca Juniors (ARG) Vs. Cruzeiro (BRA)
Cruzeiro defeated rivals Flamengo by the smallest margin, 2-1, while Boca absolutely destroyed mediocre Libertad 6-2. While Cruzeiro defended really well the whole series, Boca did not, the result does not reflect the amount that Boca suffered in the 2nd leg in Paraguay. As for attacking, with players such as Benedetto, Pavón, Mauro Zárate, Cardona and Abila, one could argue that Boca boasts the most potent attack in America.
Injuries may play a key part in this matchup, as Cruzeiro star midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta is currently dealing with a small tear in his calf while for Boca, stars Fernando Gago and Dario Benedetto are still not at 100% after tearing their ACL last season.
For this series I don’t think either club will get an advantage on the other, and the series will go to penalty kicks, where not even the best of football analysts can predict an outcome.
Score Predictions: 1st Leg: Boca 1-1 Cruzeiro. 2nd Leg: Cruzeiro 1-1 Boca. Winner will be decided by PK.
Colo-Colo (CHI) Vs. Palmeiras (BRA)
Colo-Colo shocked plenty of people after defeating Corinthians in the Round of 16. Palmeiras suffered much more than needed against Cerro Porteño after winning the first leg in Paraguay 2-0.
Both series gave us a moment that define the Copa Libertadores in its core. For Colo-Colo, goalkeeper Orion was captured telling teammate Juan Insaurralde “Tirate, pelotudo!” (“Dive, you stupid”) in order to stop the game.
Orión le dice a Insaurralde: "Tírate, pelotudo"
TE AMO COLO COLO !! ⚪⚫🏁#VamosColoColo #ColoColoEnLaCopapic.twitter.com/cMiWPadTbw
— Hernán Alvarado 32 🏆⚪⚫ (@BlackPhanter32) August 30, 2018
In the Palmeiras one, forward Deyverson gave every fan a show to remember. Sadly, his antics got him only a red card.
For the matchup between both teams, I predict plenty of moments like the above, which will make for an entertaining show. As for football, I think Colo-Colo surprises everyone again and eliminates another Brazilian giant.
Palmeiras never showed a true convincing winning mentality, and to me they are not mentally strong enough to endure breaking moments, they also will most likely lose veteran Felipe Melo after a horrible tackle that earned him a straight red. This might seem more like a gut call than a sensible one, but I am going with it.
Took Felipe Melo five minutes to be sent off last night in the Libertadores Round of 16. He was booked in the third minute, then this: pic.twitter.com/GQOiqk03Vw
— Rupert Fryer (@Rupert_Fryer) August 31, 2018
Score Predictions: 1st Leg: Colo-Colo 2-1 Palmeiras. 2nd Leg: Palmeiras 1-1 Colo-Colo
Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram for any further debate!
Twitter: @casiopersources