Newell’s Old Boys have been drawn in Group F of the 2021 Copa Sudamericana
Joining La Lepra in the group are the Chilean side Palestino, Brazilian newcomers Atlético Goianiense and either Libertad or Atlético Nacional, depending on who wins the second-leg of their qualifying play-off.
Overall, it’s not a bad draw for Newell’s and they’ve avoided some of the heavy hitters. The winners of the Libertad/Atlético Nacional match are likely to be favourites to win the group. Atlético Nacional are currently top of the Colombian Primera while Libertad are third in their respective league in Paraguay.
We’ll start the competition with a trip to Atlético Goianiense, who are appearing in the competition for the first time. Our first home game will be against either Libertad or Nacional and we’ll then go to Chile to face Palestino in Santiago.
We’ll end the Copa Sudamericana Group Stage round with a home game against Atlético Goianiense.
Newell’s midfielder Julián Fernández knows all about his former club Palestino, whom he joined Newell’s from, and he will be looking forward to coming up against his former teammates. If Libertad take the fourth place in the group, former Newell’s players Ivan Piris, Óscar Cardozo and Alfio Oviedo will also face their former club.
The Copa Sudamericana will start on the week of Tuesday 20 April.
