By EFE
Nov 23, 2024, 1:31 PM EST
He National Athletic will seek to maintain the momentum in Group A of the Colombian league semi-finals on Sunday when it visits rocky Deportivo Pasto for the second day.
Without the Mexican coach Efraín Juárez, suspended for two days when he was expelled in the 5-0 win over Santa Fe for an alleged excessive celebration, but with the return of the creative Edwin Cardona, who had his sanction reduced from two to one date , the Purslanes will face this important match with their sights set on getting six points out of six and dreaming of the final.
The Medellín team is motivated by the good performance shown against the capital and the good performances of players such as wingers Andrés Sarmiento and Marino Hinestroza; the midfielder Sebastián Guzmán and the veteran goalkeeper David Ospina, who in the last month has recovered his best level.
Pasto, who lost 2-1 in their first outing against Millonarios, will try to show the good level they had in Bogotá and will have their main card: Daniel Moreno, the championship’s top scorer with 15 goals.
The other match in Group A will be played on Tuesday by Independiente Santa Fe and Millonarios, a capital classic in which the hosts will not have, due to suspension, the Argentine defender Marcelo Ortiz, while their rivals will have a motivated Falcao García to dream of his second victory.
Key duel
Neither América de Cali nor Once Caldas could win in their debut: the Red Devils fell 1-0 in Barranquilla with Junior and Blanco Blanco tied 0-0 at home with Deportes Tolima, which is why Sunday’s duel will be key for both teams in Group B of the home runs.
The Cali team was not effective in front of goal and its coach, the Uruguayan Jorge ‘Polilla’ Da Silva, will have to look for his team to recover the level that had them at the top of the table for almost the entire regular phase.
The wingers Duván Vergara and Cristian Barrios, the two main figures of the team, will then be key; midfielder Eder Álvarez Balanta, and veteran center back Daniel Bocanegra.
“The team will recover from this and will fight for a place in the final,” said Jorge Rodrigo Da Silva, ‘Polilla’ assistant, after the duel against Junior and was confident that his team could achieve more scoring opportunities.
Once Caldas, meanwhile, has gone six games without winning, in which it barely scored two goals and against Tolima it also failed to show its best game.
The absence of midfielder Mateo García is affecting the team more and so far coach Hernán Darío ‘el Arriero’ Herrera has not found a way to solve this problem.
That is why players like veteran scorer Dayro Moreno, Argentine Lucas Ríos and winger Michael Barrios are expected to raise their level against America.
The other duel in this group will be played, precisely, by Tolima and Junior, who arrive motivated and with their great star, the veteran Carlos Bacca, at a high level.
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