Match Preview and Betting Tips.
One of the most pleasant surprise packages in this year’s edition of Copa Libertadores are coming from Ecuador. Team Barcelona from Guayaquil have opened the competition with two great performances and victories against Atletico Nacional and Estudiantes, which is allowing them to sit at the top of the Group 1.
They will be facing Brazilian squad Botafogo on late Thursday night, and the winner of this match is going to seal a playoffs spot after only three rounds. The visiting team has the same number of points and the same goal difference, so we should see a decent match.
The bookies are currently favouring the home team at 23/20 rate to win even though they don’t have a lot of experience in Copa games. What we find tempting when it comes to full time winner is the draw at 23/10. Why do we think it’s the best option? Everyone wins with a draw here. The remaining two teams in the group are without points, which mean both sides would have huge chances to reach the playoffs.
Under 2.5 FT is the great alternative here at 8/13, as it’s really hard to see any team concede more than once (allowed only one goal in the first two rounds).
Barcelona
After 2 wins, the home team comes to this 3rd round in the 1st position of Group 1, with 6 points won. In the previous round, they won in an away match against Estudiantes by (0‑2), after they have won in their first group stage by (2‑1) at home against Atlético Nacional. In their last match, for the Primera A, they got an away loss against Emelec by (1‑0). In the last 10 home matches Barcelona has won 6, tied 2 and lost 2. They haven't been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches. They have conceded the first goal in 6 of their 15 matches, and have only turned the score around in 1. there is 1 period that stands out in the last 20 home matches for all competitions: they have suffered 6 of their 17 goals between minutes (76'‑90').
Barcelona of Guayaquil comes for their fourteenth exhibition in 2017, but only the third by the Libertadores Cup, trying to maintain the excellent performance that has been showing to maintain the 100% of use in the continental tournament. Despite the good displays in the Libertadores Cup, the team isn’t going through a great stage in the Ecuadorian Championship, where they occupy the sixth position among twelve teams. As home team, since the beginning of the year, the team has played six matches, accumulating three wins, two defeats and a draw. For this match, the coach should keep the team in 4-2-3-1, with highlight for Nahuelpán in the attack, who has already played in Brazilian teams.
Botafogo
The away team comes to his 3rd round of Group 1 in the 2nd position, with 6 points won, after 2 wins. In their debut in this group stage they won at home against Estudiantes by (2‑1). In the second round, they won in an away match against Atlético Nacional by (0‑2). In their last match, for the Carioca 1, they got an away loss against Vasco da Gama by (2‑0). In the last 10 away matches Botafogo has won 6, tied 2 and lost 2. Their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 5 of the last 6 matches for this competition. In their away matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 30 of the last 63 matches have ended with Under 1,5 goals and 43 out of 63 have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 15 matches, they have conceded the first goal 5 times but have turned the score around in 2. In the last 20 away matches for all competitions there is 1 period that stands out: they have scored 8 of their 19 goals between minutes (76'‑90').
Botafogo comes for their 20th match this season, which marks their seventh appearance for the Libertadores Cup - as the team needed to play in the qualifying stage that precedes the group stage -, trying to repeat the good football that has been showing to continue with 100% of achievement in the continental tournament and thus, forward their classification. Despite coming a little shaken by losing the Rio Cup to Vasco, the team is going through a good moment, and before that defeat they had accumulated five consecutive victories, considering all the competitions they contest. As a visiting team this year, the team has played nine matches, scoring five wins, two defeats and two draws. For this match, the coach should keep the team in 4-2-3-1 or in 4-4-1-1, with Camilo standing out in the offensive sector.
