LARA VS INDEPENDIENTE PREVIEW & PREDICTION
Deportivo Lara and Independiente face in the Metropolitan Soccer Stadium of Lara, in a match for this phase of the Copa Libertadores (Group Stage). This will be the first direct confrontation between these two teams, as they have never faced each other before.
Lara:
The home team had direct access to this group stage, so they will play their first match in this edition of the competition. The team comes to this match after a home loss with Deportivo La Guaira by (0-1). In the last 10 home matches for all competitions, Deportivo Lara has won 5, tied 3 and lost 2. There are 2 periods that stand out in the last 4 home matches for all competitions: they have scored 4 of their 6 goals between matches. minutes (31′-45 ‘); He suffered 4 of his 6 goals between the minutes (76’-90 ‘).
The Deportivo Lara makes its tenth exhibition in the year of 2018, but the first international, which marks his debut in this edition of the Copa Libertadores, needing much to improve their performance to start the continental tournament with a result positive. The club does not live a great moment, since it does not win four games ago and comes from a home defeat against Deportivo La Guaira for the Venezuelan Championship, in which it occupies the seventh position among eighteen clubs. The last time the team played the Copa Libertadores was in 2013, when it failed to pass the group stage. One of the highlights of the club is the experienced Paraguayan defender Mendoza, who will probably be in the starting lineup.
Independiente:
The visiting team had direct access to this group stage, so they will play their first match in this edition of the competition. The team comes to this match after a home victory over Banfield by (1-0). In the last 10 away matches for all competitions, Independiente has won 5, tied 3 and lost 2. Their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 17 of the last 40 matches have ended with Under 1,5 goals and 26 out of 40 have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 15 matches, they suffered the first goal 5 times and only managed 1 comeback.
The Independiente enters the field for the tenth time in 2018, for his third international match this year, as he had previously played the South American Recopa title in two games against the Gremio, when both finished tied and the Brazilians They ended up winning in a shoot-off on penalties. The Argentine team reaches this stage after having won the title of the Copa Sudamericana of 2017 against the Brazilians of Flamengo. This good performance is also confirmed in the Argentine Championship, which now occupies the fourth position, with one of the four best defenses of the competition. The last participation of the team in the Copa Libertadores took place in 2011, when it failed to pass the group stage. For this match, it is likely that the coach will organize the team in 4-2-3-1, with highlight for Brítez on the right side.
PREDICTION: Independiente to win @ 1.70
