Vasco Can Seal Group G Lead in Olimpia - Vasco Da Gama
Vasco can lock up first place in Group G if it beats Olimpia in olimpia - vasco da gama on Wednesday at 19h in Paraguay. The meeting at Defensores del Chaco carries direct qualification weight because both sides enter tied on seven points with two rounds left, and Vasco holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Defensores del Chaco at 19h
The fifth-round Copa Sul-Americana match arrives with a simple incentive for Vasco: win and finish first in the group. The game is scheduled for 19h de Brasília, and it is being played at Defensores del Chaco in Paraguay, where Renato Gaúcho is expected to lean on a reserve and under-20 lineup.
That selection comes after Vasco chose not to bring its presumed starters to Paraguay because the Brazilian league remains a priority. Only Léo Jardim and Carlos Cuesta from the team that started the last Brasileirão match traveled with the delegation, a sign of how heavily the squad has been rotated for this trip.
Vasco's rotated delegation
The timing is stark. Vasco reached this point after two straight Copa Sul-Americana wins, beating Olimpia 3-0 at São Januário and then coming from behind to beat Audax Italiano in Chile. It then lost 4-1 to Internacional in the Brazilian league before heading to Paraguay, and that result helps explain why the club is splitting its attention now.
Renato, serving the third match of a suspension imposed by Conmebol after not traveling with Vasco to Argentina in the competition opener, will watch from afar as the team tries to protect its place at the top of Group G. If Vasco takes all three points, the group is settled in its favor with qualification to the next phase secured in first place.
Olimpia's missing starters
Olimpia enters with its own absences. Richard Ortiz, Richard Sánchez and Iván Leguizamón are injured, and Romeo Benítez is suspended, leaving Pablo Sánchez without four players from the likely starting group.
Even so, Olimpia responded well after its loss in Rio de Janeiro, beating Barracas Central 2-1 in Argentina before defeating Recoleta 3-2 last Friday. It also leads the Paraguayan league by ten points over second place, so the home side arrives with form and margin elsewhere while the group standings in this one can swing in Vasco's favor quickly.
Wilmar Roldán of Colombia will referee the match, and the stakes are plain: Vasco can leave Paraguay with first place in hand, or it can keep the group open for the final two rounds.
