Newell's - U de Chile

Copa Libertadores 2013, Group Stage

We may have been used to seeing U de Chile shinning on the field, but those times are unfortunately long gone. What we have today is a totally different team than what we had last year, as a lot of their key players have left (almost half of the team), and the magic-maker coach Sampaoli has also left the team. So, right now we have just a shadow of that team, without any clear objective. And we can see the effects that those changes have made: they are just 7th in the league after 6 rounds (not a big deal, as they are just 3 points behind the leaders), and have recorded some rather average results in Libertadores. They won against Lara in the opening match, 2-0, which was a normal result, nothing extraordinary, but in their second game their other face was shown, as they were just pushed aside by a very troubled Olimpia. The result aside, U de Chile really put in a tragic performance, showing lack of ideas, inability to score and some defensive gaps. Keep in mind Olimpia was/is in quite a deep crisis, losing at home to newly-promoted General Diaz, and snatching a draw after being outplayed by Rubio Nu. Newells, like 75% of the Argentinian teams, are a solid side, especially when it comes to playing at home. They've soundly beaten Olimpia by 3-1, and what's really bothering me is their loss at Lara, 1-2, which was most likely an accident. However, that fares well for this bet, as they should be pumped-up for this match, looking to get their campaign back on track. U de Chile might have posed some problems last year, but now, I barely give them any chances to come away with something from Rosario. The line is very good, and it's definitely bound to drop. GL!

Newell's (-0.5 AH) @ 1.77, 5/10
Result: 1-2, LOST