LDU Quito and Lanus return to action in the Copa Sudamericana when they go head to head at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Ricardo Zielinski's men will head into the tie looking to snap their run of five back-to-back away games without a win and take a first-leg advantage back to Argentina.
Match preview
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Following a forgettable Copa Libertadores group-stage run, LDU Quito scraped through the Copa Sudamericana knockout-stage playoff as they picked up a 4-3 aggregate victory over Always Ready in July.
Despite suffering a 3-1 second-leg defeat on July 26, a 3-0 win in the first leg at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium one week earlier proved enough to send Los Reyes through to the knockout stages as they narrowly edged out the Bolivian outfit.
This was a much-needed result for Quito, who were dumped out of the Copa Libertadores in the group stages after picking up seven points from their six matches to finish third in Group D, three points off runners-up Botafogo.
Pablo Andres Sanchez's men head into Thursday's return leg fresh off the back of a 2-1 comeback victory over Cumbaya in the Ecuadorian Serie A on Saturday, when Alex Arce and Lisandro Alzugaray scored second-half goals to turn the game on its head.
Since their loss to Always Ready on July 26, Quito have now won three games on the bounce, including a penalty-shootout victory against Bonita Banana in the Copa Ecuador round of 32 on July 31.
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Lanus, on the other hand, cruised through the Sudamericana group stages as they picked up four wins and one draw from their six matches to collect 13 points and finish as Group G winners, one point above runners-up Cuiaba and seven above third-placed Deportivo Garcilaso.
The Argentine outfit's only defeat came in the final group game on May 29, when they were beaten 1-0 by Brazilian outfit Cuiaba at the Estadio Ciudad de Lanus courtesy of a second-half strike from Isidro Pitta.
While Lanus have enjoyed a solid Sudamericana campaign so far, they have struggled for consistency in the new Argentine Primera Division season as they currently sit 14th in the table after the first 10 matches.
Zielinski's men have picked up 10 points from a possible 30, having won just three of their 10 matches, while claiming two draws and losing three, including a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Deportivo Riestra last Friday.
While Lanus will head into Thursday's tie looking to secure an early march over Quito, they have struggled to impose themselves on the road, where they have failed to win any of their last five matches, losing twice and claiming three draws since a 2-0 victory at Deportivo Garcilaso on May 10.
Team News
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With his strike against Cumbaya, Arce now has 24 goal involvements in 31 appearances for club and country since signing for Quito in February and the Paraguay international will be one to keep an eye on.
He should lead the hosts' attack, alongside Jhojan Julio and veteran forward Alzugaray, who has four goals and one assist in his last six matches, while we could see a back four of Daniel De la Cruz, Ricardo Ade, Gian Franco Allala and Bryan Ramirez.
Meanwhile, Lanus remain without several players down the spine of the team as Bruno Cabrera (ankle), Raul Loaiza (hamstring) and Leandro Diaz (muscle) all continue their spells on the sidelines.
Twenty-year-old forward Mateo Sanabria missed the league clash against Riestra last time out through an ankle problem while experienced striker Favio Alvarez is currently recuperating from a muscle injury.
Ramiro Carrera is recovering from a muscle strain and is a doubt for Thursday's clash while 19-year-old Julio Soler could make his return after missing the last two games through a light injury.
LDU Quito possible starting lineup:
Dominguez; De la Cruz, Ade, Allala, Ramirez; Cornejo, Piovi, Angulo; Alzugaray, Arce, Julio
Lanus possible starting lineup:
Losada; Izquierdoz, Munoz, Luciatti; Caceres, Morgantini, Acosta, Dominguez, Salvio; Moreno, Bou
We say: LDU Quito 2-1 Lanus
LDU Quito have put together a fine run of results in recent weeks and will head into Thursday's matchup with confidence as they look to secure a first-leg advantage. Lanus' recent form on the road leaves a lot to be desired and we see them struggling at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
