LDU Quito - Deportivo Quito

Ecuador Serie A, Primera Etapa

Massive game in Quito tonight. Liga and Deportivo will get up to date in the league, as they play their postponed match, a match that could prove crucial to their title dreams. Both teams are in with a chance of finishing the First Stage on the top position, thus qualifying for the final, but only LDU has real chances of doing so, therefore the pressure is on them. With a win here, they will go past Emelec at the top, and will only need to win in the last round to secure their place in the final. But even so, I don't expect an all-in attitude from them, as they usually take a careful approach in these derbies, and will take their time to find a goal, instead of throwing away every ounce of caution. For Deportivo, the title is just a fantasy at the moment. They need to win here, as well as in the last round, while also hoping that Emelec and LDU won't win their last match. So despite mathematically possible, the final is far away... But they won't move aside, as I'm sure they will enjoy tripping their local rivals on their way to the title. I'm going with the under again, because this trend of few goals in the derbies has been paying off so far, and LDU is a very compact team, only 2 of their last 10 matches in the league ending with more than 2 goals. And while Deportivo might seem a bit more spectacular, in the matches against the big names of the championship (Emelec, LDU, Cuenca and Barcelon), they only have 1 over from 7 games. Also, with just 1 of their last 10 direct meetings ending with more than 2 goals, and with today's match being played on neutral ground as a sanction for LDU, I think we can again count on a very closed match, with few goals. GL!

under 2.25 goals @ 1.90, 3/10

Result: 0-1, WON

Mexico - Venezuela

International Friendly Match

Opposite directions for these 2 teams. Venezuela will be pretty much closing their preparation for Copa America, after already beating Guatemala 2-0, and losing 0-3 against world champions Spain. So, this will be their final match, the one after which coach Farias will decide who stays in the squad for Copa America, and who goes home. They currently have their best players in the squad, and even though there are no top class players, they still have a few that play in decent teams across Europe: Roberto Rosales (Twente), Juan Arango (Borussia Monchegladbach) and Nicolas Fedor (Getafe), just to name those will start today's match. On the other hand, this will be Mexico's first match as preparation for Copa America. You probably are already familiar with the rules under which they compete: the U-23 Olympic squad, plus 5 players older than 23. But even so, they will have some absences tonight, as defender Johnny Magallon (expected to be the team's leader) is injured, while dos Santos is with the Gold Cup squad (and I really doubt he will be kept in the Copa America too). Therefore, Mexico will be left with their youngsters, and a lot of debutants. Venezuela already have some rhythm after a few matches, and the odds are pretty much set wrong here. Don't think Venezuela will lose tonight. GL!

Venezuela (+0.5 AH) @ 1.74, 4/10

Result: 0-3, WON