The Estadio Monumental David Arellano in Santiago will be the scene this Wednesday, August 8, of the opening of the duel between Colo Colo and Corinthians for the eighth finals of the Copa Libertadores de America version 2018. The confrontation begins scheduled for 21:45 Brasilia time). The return match is scheduled for the Corinthians Arena, in São Paulo, on August 29.
The recent performance of Colo Colo
The Colo Colo was defeated by Deportes Temuco, by 1 to 0, on Saturday, August 4, in a match for the eighteenth round of the Chilean Championship. With 30 points (nine wins, three draws and six losses), he is in fifth place. It is nine points behind Universidad Católica and Universidad de Concepcion, which divide the leadership.
In practice, the real fight of the Colo Colo in the final stretch of the season is to guarantee once again the right to dispute the Libertadores. This right is reserved for the top three. The difference of the team, which for now is in the region of the South American Cup, for Union Calera, which closes the elite squad, is five points.
The Chilean team needed to sweat a lot to survive the first phase of the 2018 edition of the Copa Libertadores. With eight points (two wins, two draws and two losses), he equaled Bolivar in second place in Group B, which was won by Atletico Nacional of Colombia. Only advanced to the round of 16 for having better goal balance (zero, while Bolivians had a four-goal deficit).
Even in the Chilean Cup, Colo Colo has already fallen. It was eliminated by Nublense. He lost, away from home, 2-0. In the match back he even managed to win. 2 – 1 was the score after the first half.
The current form of Corinthians
Corinthians had a little more peace of mind in the early phase of the Libertadores. Soon after conquering the Paulista Championship for the second consecutive year, it closed its participation in the first position of group G with ten points (three victories, one tie and two defeats). It was the same score of the Independiente, of Argentina, that finished with the second position after the use of the tie-break criteria.
On Saturday, Sao Paulo’s alvinegro had a disappointing performance in their domains against Atletico-PR. It was 0-0 in a clash that was part of the schedule of the seventeenth round of the Brazilian Championship, the antepenultimate of the first round. With this, it also follows outside the classification zone for the next edition of Libertadores through the Brasileirão. He is seventh with 26 points (seven wins, five draws and five losses).
He is one point behind Palmeiras, his great rival, who closes the block of the first six places, who are those who would have a place in the most important tournament of clubs of the continent. The title fight seems out of the question. The difference for Sao Paulo, leader, is nine points.
Thus, the cups should end up becoming the priority of Corinthians in that final season finale. In addition to Libertadores, the team are still in contention for the Copa do Brasil, where they scored 1-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinals against Chapecoense and now only need the tie in Chapecó to secure their place in the semifinals. Maybe that’s why the players have not shown the best of their football against Atletico-PR.
The tie at least served to expand the team’s unbeaten run of the season. Now, this relationship has four games (three wins and a draw).
History of the bouts between Colo Colo and Corinthians
The teams have already met four times. Corinthians won two games, drew once and lost one game. Never for Liberators.
Final prognosis for Colo Colo x Corinthians
Caution should be the mark of Wednesday’s meeting. As the qualifying goal is a tiebreaker in the Copa Libertadores, Chileans will probably have a more conservative stance in the quest for victory, avoiding taking big risks. Corinthians should also not shy away from this position, hoping to get the chance to qualify for the quarterfinals with a simple victory in their dominions. This makes the prognosis in equality a good betting option in the match.
Draw – 2.87
