:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_bc8228b6673f488aa253bbcb03c80ec5/internal_photos/bs/2022/i/a/SJX3atQwuy2IOy1UtcXA/ssiqrezhh5envvdq0coq.jpg "Copa Sudamericana 2022: group stage starts with Brazilian and foreign protagonists; see analysis | south american cup")
Worth a spot in the 2023 Libertadores and about R$ 37.5 million in prizes for the champion, the Copa Sudamericana starts this Tuesday with seven Brazilian teams in the dispute, traditional rivals from the continent and candidates for surprise in the competition.
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Atlético-GO, Santos and Ceará already debut this Tuesday. Goianos receive the LDU, the people of Ceará face Independiente at home, and Santos travel to Argentina to face Banfield.
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+ See the groups and the complete table of the Sudamericana
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Seven Brazilian teams try to win the 2022 Copa Sudamericana title — Photo: ge
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In the fourth, Fluminense takes on Oriente Petrolero at Maracanã, while Inter plays away from home against 9 de Outubro in Ecuador. On Thursday, Cuiabá plays against Melgar at Arena Pantanal, and São Paulo goes to Peru to face Ayacucho.
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The groups have four teams each, defined by drawing, and only the first place advances. In the round of 16, these eight teams face the eight clubs that finished the Libertadores group stage in third place. From there, it’s knockout until the final, in a single game, scheduled for October 1st in Brasília.
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Copa Sudamericana: Léo Lepri analyzes the beginning of the group stage of the 2022 edition
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The Brazilian protagonists
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Among the great Brazilians, Fluminense is the one who arrives at the Sudamericana carrying a newly won title, that of Carioca, won on Saturday against Flamengo. The tournament, however, will be played after a disappointment, weeks ago, when Abel Braga’s team was eliminated by Olimpia, from Paraguay, and failed to reach the group stage of Libertadores.
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Group H, from Flu, still has Oriente Petrolero, from Bolivia, Junior Barranquila, from Colombia, and Unión Santa Fé, from Argentina.
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David Braz celebrating the Fluminense title — Photo: Mailson Santana/Fluminense
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The team from Rio Grande do Sul is experiencing a turbulent moment after the early elimination in the state. During the non-game period, coach Alexander Medina tried to correct the team’s flaws. He didn’t create suspense and most likely he will repeat against 9 de Outubro, in Ecuador, almost the entire team that faced Grêmio for the last time, but without David, injured.
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In addition to the Ecuadorian team, Inter’s Group E also has Independiente Medellín, from Colombia, and Guaireña, from Paraguay.
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Alexander Medina in Inter training — Photo: Ricardo Duarte/Disclosure, Internacional
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Santos had a terrible start to the season, at risk of relegation at Paulista until the last round of the group stage. Recently, he changed coach: the command is now the Argentine Fabián Bustos, who was at Barcelona de Guayaquil.
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The team was reinforced after the elimination at Paulista and five reinforcements should be available for the game against Banfield, in Argentina: defender Maicon, midfielders Willian Maranhão and Rodrigo Fernández and forwards Bryan Angulo and Jhojan Julio. Peixe will also face Unión La Calera, from Chile, and Universidad Católica, from Ecuador in Group C.
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Jhojan Julio, Santos reinforcement — Photo: Ivan Storti/Santos FC
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Calleri is São Paulo’s top scorer this season — Photo: Marcello Zambrana/AGIF
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Tricolor won the Sudamericana exactly 10 years ago, their only achievement in the tournament. The team was rebuilt for this season after a bad Brazilian last year. Rogério Ceni’s work bore fruit and led São Paulo to the Paulista final – a 4-0 loss to Palmeiras in the final could create instability.
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The coach, however, has already warned that he will prioritize the Brazilian and that the debut, says Ayacucho, will be with a reserve team. São Paulo will still face Jorge Wilstermann, from Bolivia, and Everton, from Chile, in Group D.
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Léo Lepri talks about the participants of the South American group stage
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The biggest champion of Libertadores, with seven cups, makes a bad start to the season. There are only two victories in nine matches played. The team occupies the seventh position of Group B of the Argentine League Cup. Against Ceará, in the debut of Group G, coach Eduardo Domínguez will have absences: the starting defense, with Sergio Barreto and Juan Insaurralde are suspended, midfielder González and striker Batallini are injured.
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Independiente’s Libertadores de América Stadium — Photo: Eduardo Moura / GloboEsporte.com
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Champion of Libertadores in 2008 and South American the following year, both times against Fluminense in the final, LDU carries Quito’s tradition and altitude as weapons in this year’s competition. Led by Argentine coach Pablo Marini, LDU is fourth in Ecuador, with 10 points. Recently, he lost striker Jhojan Julio, on loan to Santos.
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Pablo Marini, LDU technician — Photo: Disclosure/LDU
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Unlike Avellaneda’s rival, Racing is off to a good start to the season, without defeats. The team leads Group A of the Argentine League Cup with five wins and three draws. Racing is led by former midfielder Fernando Gago, who has recently spent time on the bench. In attack, the highlight is Enzo Copetti, who leads the top scorer of the national tournament with five goals.
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Presidente Perón Stadium, El Cilindro, by Racing — Photo: Staff Images/Conmebol
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Brazilians on the Rise
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Léo Lepri analyzes the difficulty of the Brazilian groups in the Copa Sudamericana
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Champion of Goiás last Saturday, Atlético-GO returns to South America this season. Last year, they almost advanced to the knockout stages, but finished second in the group, behind Libertad, from Paraguay. Umberto Louzer’s team debuts at home against LDU, and then faces Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia and Chile’s Antofagasta.
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Umberto Louzer – Atlético-GO coach — Photo: Bruno Corsino / ACG
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Ceará receives Independiente, from Argentina, at Castelão, with a new coach. Dorival Júnior was hired to replace Tiago Nunes after the team’s elimination in the quarterfinals of the Copa do Nordeste. In Cearense, where it entered the quarterfinals, the team also fell early: it was eliminated in the first knockout stage by Iguatu. The club will also have, in the group, General Caballero, from Paraguay, and La Guaira, from Venezuela.
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Dorival Júnior, Ceará coach — Photo: Kid Jr. / SVM
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Champion from Mato Grosso, the team led by Pintado is betting on a cast of veterans for the season. Goalkeeper Walter, winger Uendel, defenders Marllon and Allan Empereur and midfielder Valdivia are familiar names in the group.
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It will be the first time that the club will play international matches: in the group they will face Melgar, from Peru, Racing, from Argentina, and River Plate, from Uruguay. In 2016, he competed in the tournament for having won the Copa Verde, but that year, with different regulations than the current one, he was eliminated by Chapecoense in his first playoff.
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Cuiabá Mato Grosso champion 2022 — Photo: AssCom Dourado
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Other tradition teams can also cross the path of Brazilians. O Barcelona of Guayaquilwhich disputes the preliminary round of Libertadores and who lost coach Fabián Bustos to Santos, is in Group A, as is the Lanusfrom Argentina, South American champion in 2016 and runner-up in Libertadores the following year.
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South American Champion 2020, with Hernán Crespo on the bench, the Defense and Justice of Sebastian Beccacece, always speculated in Brazil, is rival of Atlético-GO. O Junior Barranquillafrom Colombia, who has been a frequent opponent of Brazilians in Libertadores, this time plays the South American and will be the opponent of Fluminense.
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