Deportivo Independiente Medellín and Internacional, from Brazil, are emerging as the favorites of group E of the Copa Sudamericana, in which 9 de Octubre (Ecuador) and Guaireña (Paraguay) were also installed.
Undoubtedly the club with the longest cup tradition of the four is the Brazilian, which won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006; two Copa Libertadores, the first in 2006 and the second in 2010; a South American Cup, won in 2008; two South American Recopa titles (2007 and 2011) and one Suruga Bank Cup (2009). Not surprisingly, it is one of the clubs in its country with the most continental conquests.
This is the toughest rival, that is clear to the red family, who hope that their fifth participation in the second most important tournament on the continent does not go unnoticed. It is worth remembering that only the first of each of the eight groups that are part of this phase will advance to the round of 16, to which the clubs that are third in the Copa Libertadores group round will be transferred.
They don’t trust
On paper, Medellín is more than the rest of the opponents, some analysts consulted by EL COLOMBIANO agree on this, and the directors of the DIM are also aware of this, who described the group as “playable”.
However, the president of the club Daniel Ossa assured this Monday that they cannot be trusted and that is the message that is intended to be internalized both in the professional team and in each official of the institution.
“You have to be very respectful of your rivals, that has been my message to everyone. We cannot forget that at some point we looked over our shoulder at Sol de América and he eliminated us. The same thing happened in another key that we had with Palestino, which also left us on the road, ”he indicated.
For the leader, what happened years ago has to become an apprenticeship so that this time the result is different
“We are going to be landed, we are going to be professionals, whoever arrives we are going to face with everything, that has to be the internal and external message,” he added.
Other adversaries
Another of the rivals of the Powerful will be 9 de Octubre, a team that has participated three times in the Copa Libertadores (1966, 1984, 1985) and after several years of absence in the continental tournaments, in 2022 it debuted in the Sudamericana, competition in the who in the first round eliminated Delfin. In the local tournament he does not live a good moment. They are 14 out of 16, with only 4 points, after three losses, one draw and one win.
“This is a team from Guayaquil with a long history in Ecuadorian professional soccer, with a couple of great campaigns and good players. Jairzinho, a Brazilian from that Mexico 70, was the most notable player. It had fallen into decline for a couple of decades and just a year ago it returned to the first division, with a very good first tournament that earned it its right to play this Cup,” said Ecuadorian coach Octavio Zambrano, who led the Independent Medellin between 2018 and 2019.
The coach added that this “is not a team of big stars and has a limited payroll, but it does have a lot of speed and is a very aggressive team playing at home. This year hasn’t started well, but it’s a group that can surprise you if you’re not focused”, added the strategist who, however, believes that the Antioquia squad should have no problem beating them.
Guaireña, another rookie
Medellín will also have to face Guaireña, who just this Monday celebrated its sixth anniversary. This club also has an irregular campaign in the so-called Copa de Primera de Paraguay, in which it is eighth with only six points, the product of three defeats, three draws and a single win. In 2020 he achieved promotion to the First Division and in 2021, in his international debut, he was eliminated by River Plate of that country, in the first round of the Copa Sudamericana
