Palestino v Newell’s Old Boys
Group F, CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana
4th May 2021
🏟️ Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile
Germán Burgos has had just 48 hours to pick up the pieces from Sunday’s devastating Clásico before Newell’s play their fourth game in 8 days against Chile’s Palestino in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday night.
The frankly ridiculous kick-off time (23.00 local) was set by CONMEBOL so that Newell’s had the bare minimum period (48 hours) to rest before having to take to field again.
The group flew to Chile on Monday night, without training since before the Clásico, and now have to try and put in a performance that tries to overturn the current 3-game losing streak.
Germán Burgos was only appointed in March but there’s already murmurs that losing to Palestino on Tuesday would see the end of his reign after just 10 games. Sources say that any manager who loses a Clásico at Newell’s by a three-goal margin is automatically walking the tight-rope, such is the seriousness of Sunday’s defeat.
Without a training session to prepare for the game, Burgos will be solely focused on raising the spirits of the players. The Clásico loss will still be raw, with tensions running high among the group, and El Mono’s capacity to change the mentality of the squad will now face its biggest challenge yet.
Palestino are the only team in Group F not to put any points on the board yet, having lost to both Libertad and Atlético Goianiense. They’ve had a mixed start to their domestic campaign too, with 4 points from 4 games so far (1W, 1D, 2L) and they currently sit second from bottom in the Chilean Primera División although they do have two games in hand.
The game is being played at a neutral venue, the Estadio El Teniente (normally home of O’Higgins) in Rancagua, as Palestino’s La Cisterna stadium does not meet CONMEBOL requirements for hosting a Copa Sudamericana game during the pandemic.
Palestino v Newell’s Old Boys Team News
Germán Burgos is likely to rest a number of players who started in the Clásico. Julián Fernández is fit to face his former club after returning from injury to appear as a substitute in Sunday’s Clásico Rosarino.
Pablo Pérez and Manuel Capasso are both suspended and have been left out of the squad.
Jonatan Cristaldo continues to recover on the sidelines from what was initially thought to be a minor injury but he has now missed 5 games.
Braian Rivero, Mariano Bíttolo, Franco Escobar, Francisco González and Santiago Gentiletti are all on the long-term injury list.
The Argentine Jonathan Benítez is Palestino’s key man and will look to create opportunities from the left flank.
The expected Palestino lineup is: Cristopher Tosselli; Cristian Suárez, Pablo Alvarado, Bruno Romo, Nicolás Berardo; Sebastián Martínez, Bryan Carrasco, Bruno Barticciotto, Luis Jiménez; Juan Sánchez Sotelo and Jonathan Benítez.
📺 Watch Palestino v Newell’s on Thursday 29th April: Live on Fanatiz (US Only), BeIN USA, DirecTV.
⏰ Kick-off: 23.00 ARG | 03.00 (Wed) UK
