Universitario Vs Nacional: Lodeiro Backs Victory in Group B Clash

Universitario vs Nacional arrives on Wednesday, April 29, with Group B on a knife edge and a win for the hosts enough to pull all four teams level on four points. Universitario carries only one point from its first two Copa Libertadores matches, while Nacional leads the section with four, so the result can reshape the table immediately.

Estadio Monumental de Ate

Universitario hosts Nacional de Uruguay at the Estadio Monumental de Ate at 21:00 in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. The kickoff is set for 22:00 in Chile, Venezuela and Bolivia, 23:00 in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, 20:00 in Mexico, and 04:00 on Thursday, April 30, in Spain.

Nicolás Lodeiro set the tone for the visitors with a direct message: “Intentaremos llevarnos la victoria.” That is the posture of a team that has already handled Group B well enough to sit first, after drawing away to Coquimbo Unido and then beating Deportes Tolima in Montevideo.

Universitario’s narrow margin

Universitario has not given itself much room. Its Libertadores start produced a 0-0 draw away to Deportes Tolima, then a 2-0 loss to Coquimbo Unido, leaving the club with one point and needing a sharper home performance to stay in touch with the group leaders.

The domestic form has not offered much relief. In its last local match, Universitario lost 2-1 to Alianza Atlético, a result that adds pressure to a side already dealing with an uneven run in both domestic and continental competition.

Nacional leads Group B

Nacional arrives with the cleaner continental record. It leads Group B with four points, and a positive result in Lima would help preserve that edge while keeping the group compressed at the top if Universitario gets the win.

That urgency is sharpened by Nacional’s most recent domestic setback, a 2-1 loss to Danubio in its last Torneo Apertura match in Uruguay. Universitario, meanwhile, is trying to turn a home date into a response after a poor sequence that has left it with one point and little margin for another miss in the section.