Nacional
- Jorge Bava’s Nacional have been solid, intense and organized in the pressing phase in their games so far, while their compactness and ability to recover the ball quickly have been good for them on the counter-attack with their pragmatic 4-4-1-1 system.
- Nacional’s home record stands at one win from one game, scoring 3 and conceding 1, while Universitario have failed to win either of their two away games in the group stage, drawing 0-0 at Sport Boys and scoring just one goal on the road.
- Nacional enter this game on the back of a crushing 4-0 win at home to Cerro in the Uruguayan Primera Division, bouncing back from a 3-0 defeat to Deportes Tolima in the Copa Libertadores the previous week.
Universitario
- The visitors have two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five, but Universitario have an important game coming up against Nacional on Wednesday as it is likely to be the debut of new coach Héctor Cúper.
- Jorge Araujo’s men typically set up in a 3-5-2 system with two wing-backs, seeking to overload wide areas and attack through the wings.
- That could lead to a more open game of soccer than the one we witnessed in the reverse fixture, with Nacional’s compactness and Universitario’s wing-based play style potentially clashing in a high-tempo matchup of chances at both ends.
Head-to-Head
Club Nacional de Montevideo and Universitario de Deportes produced an instant classic when they met two weeks ago, with Universitario running out 4-2 winners at home in a goal-fest in Copa Libertadores Group B.
Key Players
Universitario’s Edison Flores has scored three of their last six goals in all competitions, with Alex Valera the top scorer in Copa Libertadores for the visitors with two .
Betting Insights
Odds of 1.98 for a home victory look favorable considering Nacional have won and scored 3 goals in their only Copa Libertadores home game, while Universitario have scored just 1 in two away fixtures in the group.
Prediction
Bava’s men have won 1 and lost 4 of their last five matches in all competitions, which isn’t great form, but I’m banking on Nacional to find their footing in the upcoming game.
