Preview：Copa Libertadores - Sao Paulo VS Racing Club
Copa Libertadores - Sao Paulo VS Racing Club
Match Time: 14-07-2021 06:00 Wednesday
Livescore | Match Preview| 1x2 Odds| Match Analysis & Tips
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Match preview
2021 Copa Libertadores, Sao Paulo will play against with Racing Club home. Mired in the Serie A relegation zone as recently as last week, only back-to-back victories over Internacional and Bahia have seen Sao Paulo finally get their 2021 domestic campaign on track during the past few days. Recording their first win after nine league matches has relieved at least some of the pressure on head coach Hernan Crespo's shoulders before the visit of one of his homeland's most celebrated clubs on Wednesday. Former Milan striker Crespo took charge of his new team earlier this year, following modest spells as a manager in Argentina and in Italy, where he spent most of his most successful playing days. Though he led Sao Paulo to the regional Campeonato Paulista title in May and helped them sail through Group E of the Copa Libertadores behind this week's opponents, the Tricolor's manager has seen his team record a mediocre tally of just eight league goals so far this term - an indicator of where their most obvious deficiency lies. Following their goalless draw with Racing in early May, the 2005 winners are yet to win a Libertadores match in Argentina since they went on to lift the trophy some 16 years ago, so the stakes will be high ahead of this opening leg on home soil.
In that intense encounter at El Cilindro de Avellaneda, Racing dominated the game with their aggressive style as their experienced visitors could not find a way through their relentless pressing tactics, while they sneaked a 1-0 win on their last trip to Morumbi despite having less than a third of the ball. The club which finished fourth in the Argentinian Apertura in May have not won South America's most prestigious competition since their feted 1967 success, when they went on to be crowned Intercontinental Cup champions after three bitterly contested clashes with Celtic. Charged with bringing the silverware back to Buenos Aires this year is Crespo's fellow ex-striker, Juan Antonio Pizzi, who has previously managed Valencia and Chile - who he led to the 2016 Copa America trophy. Since the crushing disappointment of losing 3-0 to Colon in the Apertura final last month, Pizzi's side have not played a senior fixture, so may experience some rustiness on Wednesday, and their upcoming itinerary is action-packed: meeting Velez Sarsfield in the opening game of the Clausura next Sunday, before hosting Sao Paulo three days later. After leaving Racing for Major League Soccer's Atlanta United in January, fans' favourite Lisandro Lopez has returned to La Academia for the second half of 2021, and will once again don the captain's armband. Their supporters will undoubtedly hope, then, that the 38-year-old former Porto and Lyon striker's nous and experience could prove the deciding factor in their quest for a second Libertadores title this year - starting with this week's assignment in Brazil.
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Volpi; Leo, B. Alves, Arboleda; D. Alves, Welington, Liziero, Gomes, Sara; Pablo, Rigoni
Racing Club possible starting lineup:
Arias; Caceres, Sigali, Dominguez, Orban; Miranda, Martinez, Piatti; Copetti, Lopez, Lovera
Odds Analysis
Sao Paulo got 0 win, 1 draw and 1 loss in last 2 battles with Racing Club, including 0 win, 0 draw and 1 loss at home. The bet365 1x2 first odds of this game are 1.67-3.60-5.25, the 1x2 live odds are 1.73-3.50-4.75. And the Kelly Criterion is 0.93-0.95-0.91. Therefore, is trustworthy in this game.
Goalooin Prediction:
Sao Paulo (53.81%)
Draw (26.60%)
Racing Club(19.60%)
