This Wednesday, the participation of the Chilean teams in the Copa Sudamericana continues. Palestino and Independiente de Medellín will face each other at the Estadio Nacional for the first leg of the round of 16 of the continental competition starting at 8:30 p.m.
At the international level, both teams have demonstrated a good level, although the path that leads them to face each other is clearly different. The Arab team reached this stage after finishing third in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, behind Bolívar and Flamengo. Thus, in the playoffs of the Sudamericana they faced Cuiabá, beating them by an aggregate score of 3-2.
On the other hand, the Poderoso team remained at the top of Group A with 13 points, thanks to four wins, one draw and one loss, in a zone where it competed against Always Ready, Defensa y Justicia and César Vallejo.
The nationals arrive with high morale, especially after the 4-1 victory they achieved against O’Higgins in the last round of the National Tournament. After the rout, the technical director of Palestino, Lucas Bovaglio, spoke about this duel.
“We have to try to prepare well, it is a commitment of a different kind, but I have no doubt that this team will rise to the occasion,” he began by saying at a press conference.
Along those lines, Bovaglio added that “we are in a good moment and today we showed that we are a good team. DIM is coming, a team with history and a super ambitious sports project. I feel that we will be up to the task, compete well and try to play at our highest level. We want to access the next phase.”
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Finally, the coach referred to the sports venue that will host the match. “I hope it will be a party. Playing in Santiago and at the National Stadium is great news for everyone,” he concluded.
On the other side is Independiente de Medellín, which has recently undergone a major change in the technical department. Alfredo Arias left the institution due to the poor campaign achieved at the local level, where they have only won one of the last five games at the beginning of the second semester.
His replacement is Alejandro Restrepo, a 42-year-old coach who will make his debut on the bench against the Chileans. Aware of the importance of these matches and the little time he has to prepare the team, the coach said in his presentation that “there is a very important commitment, we know how little time we have to quickly get to know the group; that will be the great challenge, to get to know each of the players in their positions, to analyze the rival very well so that through a game plan and a match plan we can achieve in this two-match series the result that the entire Independiente Medellín family wants,” he declared.
In addition, the new DIM coach arrives in Chile without his main reinforcements: full-back Jherson Mosquera, suspended for doping in 2023 when he was with Newell’s, and midfielder Jersson González, who was not registered for the round of 16 of the tournament. He will also not be able to count on forward Ménder García, who is out due to an injury.
The rematch of the duel between Independiente de Medellín and Palestino will be played next Wednesday, August 21, starting at 8:30 p.m. at the Atanasio Girardot stadium.
