Deportivo Pereira and Independiente del Valle will kick off their fight for a place in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals on Thursday, when they meet at the Estadio Hernan Ramirez Villegas in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie.
The hosts progressed to the knockout stage by finishing second in group F, while their visitors topped their group in style with 12 points from their six outings.
Match preview
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Deportivo Pereira earned a place in this year's Copa Libertadores group stage through their first-ever domestic top-flight triumph last time around, as the Colombian outfit won the Categoria Primera A Torneo Finalizacion, finishing fifth in the table, before topping their semi-final groups and eventually coming out on top in a penalty shootout in the final against Independiente Medellin following a goalless draw in normal time.
They then experienced a slow start to the new continental campaign this season, as life in the group stage began with a 1-1 draw at home to Colo Colo and a 2-1 defeat away at Boca Juniors, before Alejandro Restrepo's side strengthened their claim for a top-two spot with back-to-back victories, firstly beating Monagas 2-1 in Colombia, thanks to goals from Carlos Ramirez and Jimer Fory.
Los Matecanas would then move onto seven points from four outings with an impressive 1-0 win in the reverse fixture against Argentinian giants Boca Juniors, as Arley Rodriguez netted the only goal of the game 12 minutes from time, before seeing their position in second spot come under slight threat following a 1-0 defeat away at Monagas.
That meant they went into the final round of games with a two-point lead over Monagas and opponents Colo Colo, and with the former losing against Boca Juniors, Restrepo's men did enough to hold off the chasing pack and progress to the final 16, holding Colo Colo to a goalless draw in Chile to finish on eight points.
Now on the back of a 2-0 defeat away at Atletico Huila on Sunday, in what has been a tough start to the new Categoria Primera A Clausura season, with a draw and two losses coming from their first three outings, Deportivo Pereira will hope to bounce back and gain an edge in their two-legged Copa Libertadores round-of-16 tie on home turf.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, will return to competitive action for the first time since the end of the Copa Libertadores group stage in late June, after booking their place in South America's premier competition by winning the Copa Sudamericana last season, as they beat Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo 2-0 in the final, courtesy of goals from Lautaro Diaz and Lorenzo Favarelli.
The Ecuadorian outfit then entered the group stage in early April this year and began with a trip to Argentinos Juniors, eventually suffering a 1-0 defeat, before they put their first points on the board in a 2-0 triumph over Liverpool, as Junior Sornoza and Alan Minda netted goals either side of half time.
Martin Anselmi's side then made it back-to-back victories by beating Corinthians 2-1 away from home, thanks to a brace from Diaz, before being slightly halted by a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture against Liverpool.
That would not derail Los Negriazules though, as they finished with two further triumphs to take top spot in the group, firstly thrashing Corinthians 3-0 with Michael Hoyos netting a brace and Sornoza adding a third, before they finished with a 3-2 triumph at home to Argentinos Juniors, leapfrogging their opponents in dramatic fashion as Kevin Rodrigues hit a 90th-minute winner, after Faravelli and Diaz had previously put them ahead on two separate occasions.
Having not been in competitive action since that final outing, with their most recent games coming against Sevilla and Getafe in July, Independiente del Valle will aim to pick up where they left off when they travel to Colombia for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie on Thursday.
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Team News
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Given the quick turnaround from their last league outing, Deportivo Pereira will likely revert to a similar starting XI to the one that featured throughout the Copa Libertadores group stage, with Jhonny Vasquez, Juan Quintero and Yeison Suarez likely to reform a back three.
At the other end of the pitch, Arley Rodriguez, who has contributed six goals and three assists in 29 appearances in all competitions so far this season, should start up front alongside veteran forward Angelo Rodriguez.
They will have support from Atletico Nacional loanee Jimer Fory, who chipped in with two goals in the group stage and will hope to cause further problems from a left wing-back role.
We will likely see an unchanged Independiente del Valle starting team from the one that featured in their 3-2 victory over Argentinos Juniors in the final group game, with Lautaro Diaz again bound to lead the line after netting three goals and providing two assists in five group games.
In a 4-3-3 setup, he will again be flanked by Michael Hoyos, who leads the side's scoring charts with 13 goals alongside six assists in 22 appearances across all competitions so far this term, and 16-year-old Kendry Paez.
Lorenzo Faravelli will offer further attacking support from the midfield trio, likely alongside Jordy Alcivar and Julio Ortiz, while Mateo Carabajal and Agustin Garcia Basso should partner up at the heart of a back four.
Deportivo Pereira possible starting lineup:
Quintana; Quintero, Vasquez, Suarez; Moreno, Velasquez, Angulo, Zuluaga, Fory; Arley Rodriguez, Angelo Rodriguez
Independiente del Valle possible starting lineup:
Villa; Fernandez, Carabajal, Basso, Medina; Faravelli, Alcivar, Ortiz; Paez, Diaz, Hoyos
We say: Deportivo Pereira 1-2 Independiente del Valle
Deportivo Pereira will be desperate to make the most of home advantage on Thursday, but we see the visitors having too much quality and attacking threat and going ahead in the tie before returning to Ecuador for the second leg next week.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
