Universidad de Chile vs Guarani: Copa Sudamericana Match Predictions

In Thursday night's opening leg of their Copa Sudamericana knockout playoff, Universidad de Chile of Chile will host Club Guarani of Paraguay at Santiago's National Stadium, which has a capacity of 50,000 spectators. No one should be surprised that the hosts, who have slipped in from the Copa Libertadores, are heavy favourites to go to the round of 16.

Previous Matches and Head-to-Head

Universidad, with a one-point lead over Estudiantes and Botafogo, faced a heartbreaking situation in the Libertadores group stage. Despite a tie with Botafogo, they fell to third place and were relegated to the Sudamericana. Despite the setback, Gustavo Alvarez's squad bounced back, defeating O'Higgins 6-0. La U is still in a great position to win the championship, currently in third place, one point behind first place, and waiting to qualify for the Libertadores.

The Sudamericana is the primary focus for now, as they are not expected to advance beyond their Libertadores group stage performance. Guarani, who were cruising to a group title in 2014, are standing in the way of a spot in the round of 16, but have a dismal continental record since reaching the semi-finals of the Libertadores in 2015. Victor Bernay's team aims to improve upon their dismal continental record and improve their chances of reaching the round of 16. Guarani's team lost on the road at Nacional Asuncion last weekend after an opening-match victory against two de Mayo.

Universidad de Chile x Guarani Team News

Due to an ill-timed suspension, Matias Zaldivia will not be allowed to play for Universidad in their subsequent encounter against Botafogo on matchday six of the Libertadores.

Although Marcelo Diaz, Lucas Di Yorio, and Rodrigo Contreras have all been substituted in La U's last three league matches, they are all expected to be active and contribute in this match.

Charles Aranguiz, a seasoned veteran who spent a decade in Europe, is about to make his 58th continental appearance for South American football. He is in fine form, having scored twice in their last victory.

For the away team, keep an eye on Agustin Manzur, who just made his Palestine national team debut and showed a spark of creativity by assisting on three goals in five group stage games.

Unfortunately for Guarani, their leading scorer from the groups, centre back Gustavo Vargas, who scored three goals, has just signed a free transfer with Olimpia.

Despite not having officially opened his account, Derlis Rodriguez has started in both league games since joining from Cerro Porteno, and he has bolstered their offence.

Our Predictions

Universidad de Chile to win @ 1.68 on Sky247.ng

Even though both teams had disappointing group stage campaigns, Universidad should have an easier time of it now that they're playing in a weaker Libertadores group, especially against a team that lost 5-0 at home in their most recent continental match. The hosts are riding high on a three-game winning streak, while Guarani will be looking to get back on track after losing last weekend.

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