Deportivo Pasto verus Union Magdalena is not the most appealing poster of these Colombian play-offs, but excellent value can be achieved for the observant punter. Read on, before the odds have dropped further.
Deportivo Pasto:
Deportivo Pasto is the big surprise of this Apertura for me. The club from the south of the country works with a small budget and actually has no notable players, but manages to surprise the Colombian football world under the leadership of trainer Alexis Garcia. Not only did Los Volcanicos compete against all odds for the play-offs for the national championship, they also have a chance to reach the final in which the Colombian title fight will be decided with just one group game to go.
Deportivo Pasto, however, does not control reaching the final. The team itself must win its final group match against Union Magdalena, and then hope that Los Millonarios will miss points against America de Cali. In addition, just like in its previous league matches, Deportivo Pasto cannot use its own Estadio de Libertad, which is currently being renovated. This last all-deciding game is therefore also played in Ipiales, a little over eighty kilometers away. Yet this is not nearly as bad as it appears at first sight. Ipiales is three hundred meters higher than Pasto, so the team can exploit its geographical home advantage even better. Opponents must breathe regularly in the thin mountain air. In addition, there is no stadium lighting in Ipiales, so this game will be played in the afternoon. The other group match will remain in the evening. Some fans of Los Millonarios were therefore already talking about competition distortion, because Deportivo Pasto now does not have to keep an eye on what is going on in Bogota during the game. There is, of course, some truth in that.
Union Magdalena:
Union Magdalena can also look back on a strong season. The PhD student had hardly any adjustment problems at the highest level, so he managed to qualify as a blow for the play-offs. However, that turned out to be a bit too high for him, because with only one point from five group matches, a final place was not in it for the team of coach Harold Rivera.
For Union Magdalena, there is nothing more at stake in the last game round. You can therefore wonder to what extent visitors still feel like the long trip to Ipiales. In addition, the team always has a hard time this season when it has to play at great heights. Santa Marta is located on the Caribbean coast, so El Ciclon Bananero is better served by tropical temperatures.
PREDICTION: Dep. Pasto to win @ 1,53
