April 28, 2006 - Copa Libertadores |
The field has now been reduced to 16, with only one going on to lift South America's most prestigious piece of club silverware in August. As the race for the 2006 crown rounds the final bend, the week ahead will see the remaining contenders jockeying for position in the first legs of their third-round ties.
River Plate-Corinthians, Palmeiras-Sao Paulo and Newell's Old Boys-Velez Sarsfield are the pick of the week's eight games, and FIFA.com is on hand with its customary preview of all the action.
Evenly balanced
The four sides stepping out on Tuesday will no doubt be looking to draw first blood and grab a vital advantage for the return leg. That said, there is very little to choose between the sides in either tie.
Estudiantes de La Plata entertain Brazil's Goias (20:15 local time) in a showdown between two teams who could have a big say on the destiny of the trophy. Whereas Los Pincharratas, champions back in 1968, 1969 and 1970, finished second in their group with 10 points, the Brazilians outdid them on their Copa debut by topping Group 3 with a handsome 11 points.
"There's something almost mystical about this team. We've shown that by winning points that seemed lost. There's a new competition starting now but we've definitely got what it takes to beat anyone," was the confident view of Estudiantes frontman Mariano Pavone, one of the tournament's leading scorers, after his side had qualified for the last 16.
The day's other game sees LDU Quito take on Atletico Nacional of Medellín in the Ecuadorian capital (20:30 local time) in what promises to be a closely-contested encounter between two sides with remarkably similar styles.
The duo took markedly different routes to the knock-out stages. The Ecuadorians, coached by the Peruvian Juan Carlos Oblitas, got the job done early by qualifying from Group 5 with two rounds of games still to go. Last Tuesday's 2-2 draw against Velez in Buenos Aires proved the ideal warm-up for the clash with the Colombians, who scraped through in the last round of group games thanks to a 2-1 win away to Rosario Central. |
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