Copa Libertadores 2012
The new edition of the Copa Libertadores will take off this week with it's preliminary round, so let's see what we have on the menu. First match of this round will see Sport Huancayo travelling to Arsenal de Sarandi. The Peruvians made a great domestic campaign last year, finishing on a surprisingly 3rd place, which gives them the chance to fight for a group-stage qualification. The high altitude in Huancayo, and a solid-offensive system helped them a lot on their way, but for the first leg against Arsenal, they won't be able to count on any of that. The directors made the bad choice of letting some of their best players go, and the transfers of midfielder Hilden Salas and of the attacking duo Avila and Sotil are sure to provide a huge blow (besides the other absent players - they changed close to half of the team). Their replacements are far from their level, and I doubt 'old-man' Ibarra (39 years old) or Baylon (previously in Sport Boys) will make an impact. They also come into this match without much match practice, as they only played a single friendly match, lost 0-3 against Leon de Huanuco. Also worth mentioning is the historical spanking Huancayo received in 2010, 0-9 at Defensor Sporting of Uruguay, in the Copa Sudamericana. Meanwhile, Arsenal only lost goalscorer Obolo, but signed Jorge Cordoba in his place (already played and scored for River and Gimnasia, so he should adapt quite well). Striker Leguizamon is suspended for this match, but he should be well replaced by Zelaya. Arsenal is not a spectacular team, but is efficient, and they are rightly favorites for this match. The handicap is a bit high, and the odds also dropped since the market opened, but I still believe it is a good bet, definitely worthy of some small stakes. GL!
Arsenal (-1.5 AH) @ 1.90, 4/10
Result: 3-0, WON
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