So We Meet Again…

By: Mauro | May 1st, 2008

Santos FC vs. Cúcuta Deportivo (Estadio Vila Belmiro, Santos, Brazil)
LIVE @ 4:30pm PST, Thursday May 1st, on Fox Sports Español.

For the third time in this year’s edition of the Copa Libertadores, Santos and Cúcuta stare across the field at one another. Only this time, there is more on the line for both squads. They faced off twice in the group stage with a goal-less draw in Colombia and a 2-1 win in Brazil for the home team once the group was already decided at which point Cúcuta fielded an alternate side. Mariano Tripodi was the hero on that day as he scored the match winning goal 2 minutes from time for Santos.

Much has changed since the last two times Santos’ and Cúcuta’s starting squads face each other in Colombia. Cúcuta has witnessed the rise of Matías Urbano scoring 5 goals and his partnership with Macnelly Torres in full blossom. On Santos’ side of the ball, they’ve been able watch as Mauricio Molina has lit up the nets in the Copa with 5 of his own goals, creating a really great duo with Kléber Perreira.

Santos have not won the Copa Libertadores since they won two in a row with Pele on their squad way back in 1962-63. Cúcuta is looking to repeat their performance from last year’s edition, where they advanced all the way to the semis beating teams like Mexico’s CD Toluca and three-time Copa champs Nacional de Montevideo before falling to eventual champs, Boca Juniors.

For this match Santos can count on their newest signing (literally signed just this week) Lima and expect to see him on the pitch from the get go. Look for Santos to stretch the field wide, in anticipation of the Colombian sides’ defensive strategy, with Wesley and Kléber (no the other Kléber, the one with the captain’s armband).

Conversely, expect Cúcuta to play a very defensive, counter attacking style. With nine to ten men behind the ball, counting on the speed and passing of Macnelly Torres hooking up with either Matías Urbano or José Amarilla up front.

Cúcuta is coming off a 3-0 win in the Colombian league against Chico. Urbano scored two in that match and they are in good spirits coming into this one.

Bottom Line: They play in Santos where the home side has won all three Libertadores matches they played there but they face the away win buster in Cúcuta, who won two of their away matches, one HUGE away match to Chivas in Mexico and the other away to San José in a 4-2 convincing win. This will be a good one.

My pick: 1-1. Cúcuta have earned my respect. While they do usually play a more defensive, catenaccio style football, they don’t pretend to be something they are not. They want to win matches and if they can take teams out using this tactic, than bully for them (I don’t see anyone giving Man. Utd. a lot of flack for playing like shit in the semis of the Champs League).

Check the CONMEBOL website for results, stats, articles and upcoming matches.