Veron and Co. Take the Show to Quito.

By: Mauro | April 29th, 2008

Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito vs. Estudiantes de La Plata (Estadio La Casa Blanca, Quito Ecuador)
LIVE @ 6:30pm on Fox Sports Español

This match could easily be billed the best team in Ecuador against the best team in Argentina of the moment.

The reigning Ecuadorian champion LDU Quito is coming off a loss at the weekend, against Técnico Universitario a team that’s currently at the bottom of the local league table. This was due to many of the starters, none of which were rested ahead of tonight’s match, playing a soft match and not really playing very hard. Returning for this match from injury is Argentine defender Norberto Araujo, one of the club’s very best and staunch defenders. LDU Quito will have to pressure the ball away from Estudiantes who will look to keep possession and control the rhythm of the match.

LDU Quito’s record at home is pretty good. They have two wins and one draw, from their opening match against Fluminense, one of the best sides of the tournament in my opinion.

Estudiantes, meanwhile, are coming off a big 3-1 win over Rosario Central, a result that has allowed them to maintain their place at the top of the table alongside River Plate in the Argentine Clausura. It looks like Rodrigo Braña is injured and Agustin Alayes is suspended for being sent off in Estudiantes’ last match against Danubio, his second red card of the competition. But coming back are Ezequiel Maggiolo and Diego Galvan. Estudiantes is expected to make the trip to Quito about four hours before the match, since the squad is training and staying in Guayaquil, to train and acclimatize themselves to the altitude difference there. Estudiantes will need to keep possession through Juan Sebastian Veron and Ivan Moreno y Fabianesi who will also be fighting to pressure the LDU midfield into giving up the ball.

Estudiantes’ record away is pretty decent. Nothing spectacular. They did manage a 2-1 win away to Danubio in Uruguay in early March and also managed to take a point away from Lanús in south Buenos Aires. But in the away match mostly similar to this one, they failed to get a point, they lost to Deportivo Cuenca in Ecuador, 1-0.

Bottom Line: Estudiantes are a tough team to beat at home, especially with Veron on the pitch. They have one of the deeper rosters in Argentina and look particularly strong right now. LDU Quito are a good squad, play good football. My pick: 2-1 to LDU Quito. No Argentine team has performed well in a high altitude stadium in this competition. In fact, the only team I expect to do well up there is Estudiantes and that’s why they get a crucial away goal.

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