Sporting Cristal (home)
- Sporting Cristal Lima enter the playoff semi-final on the back of three consecutive wins (beating Atlético Grau, Cienciano and Comerciantes Unidos).
- Cristal have been more solid under the pragmatic Brazilian coach since his return to the club in April, with Christofer Gonzáles dictating the play and controlling the tempo from midfield and Felipe Vizeu leading the line as a reliable finisher.
- The addition of wide man Santiago González to the team has given them more creative width when he has been able to shake off injuries.
Alianza Lima (away)
- Alianza Lima are unbeaten in their last 5 competitive games (W4, D1), including a dominant 3-0 win over UTC Cajamarca in the playoff quarter-final.
- Alianza Lima finished one place and 7 points ahead of Sporting Cristal in the accumulated league table, earning the higher seeding and home advantage in the playoffs, as noted in our Sporting Cristal Lima vs Alianza Lima prediction.
- Both clubs have had good seasons, but Alianza were more consistent and finished with 61 points to Cristal’s 54.
Head-to-Head
- The head-to-head record between these big two Lima rivals is very even, with Alianza winning 24 of the 67 official league meetings and Cristal 18, with 25 draws.
- The average number of goals scored per game is just over 2, suggesting another low-scoring affair should be expected in this first leg, which is reflected in the Sporting Cristal Lima vs Alianza Lima betting tips available for this match.
Key Players
- Paolo Guerrero has been the talisman for Alianza Lima for over a decade now and continues to prove his value in big games such as this one.
- Néstor ‘Pipo’ Gorosito’s willingness to play youth and make tactical changes in the international campaign saw the club renew his contract recently and his more fluid, attack-minded style of play has reaped rewards both domestically and in the Copa Libertadores.
- Alianza’s midfield is more creative, with Jesús Castillo and Fernando Gaibor providing quality in transition, but Carlos Zambrano’s suspension is a blow as he is usually the defensive anchor.
- The addition of wide man Santiago González to the team has given them more creative width when he has been able to shake off injuries.
Betting Insights
- Sporting Cristal are the bookies’ favorites at 2.6 with Alianza Lima not far behind at 2.55 and the draw at 3.4.
- Under 2.5 goals at 1.9 looks a good bet, however, as neither team will want to lose control of the first-leg, and this is a factor considered in the latest Sporting Cristal Lima vs Alianza Lima betting tips.
Prediction
The draw at 1-1 looks like the best bet in the exact score market, but we are also siding with a narrow 1-0 home win for the hosts as our exact score prediction, as the winner of this matchup is likely to be decided by a small margin.