The third country in our look at this years Copa Libertadores 2016 entrants is Colombia
After the guides for Argentina and Ecuador we will present now the three participating Colombian teams Atlético Nacional de Medellín, Club Independiente Santa Fe de Bogotá and Deportivo Cali.
Atlético Nacional de Medellín
The Colombian champions started with two convincing wins into the tournament and look like the team with the biggest title chances of the tree Colombian participants. After winning 2:0 at Argentine team Huracán they got a safe 3:0 win at home against Peruvian Sporting Cristal. Nacional is the team with the highest budget in Colombia with a lot of good players. The attack is their biggest strength as they always look to play football on the front foot regardless of being home or away. In the opening rounds, the attacking threat of the team appears to be spearheaded by 19 year old Marlos Moreno who along with Victor Ibarbo will cause problems for most defences. With Argentine goalkeeper Franco Armani they have one of the best goalkeepers in South America. Together with Alejandro “Lobito” Guerra, Sherman Cárdenas (creative midfield player), Alexis Henríquez and capitán and fan idol Alex Meíja they have very experienced players at this level.
Key player – Alex Mejía
Club Independiente Santa Fe
The second Colombian team Independiente Santa Fe from the capital Bogotá had a bad start in the tournament with a draw against Cero Porteño from Paraguay and a loss against Brazilian team Corinthians. In contrast to Atlético Nacional de Medellín their style of playing is more focused on defending. Their main offensive threat has been set plays, from which they score a lot of goals through headers. In addition to that their counterattacking with some kind of kick-and-rush makes them a unpleasant opponent. Besides captain and fan idol Omar Pérez are the most important players winger Luis Manuel Seijas, goalkeeper Rufay Zapata, and the two youngsters defender Yerry Mina and striker Carlos Ibargüen.
Key player – Omar Pérez
Deportivo Cali
Deportivo Cali have made a name for themselves in recent years for their academy which has produced some of the most exciting players on the continent. “La Amenaza Verde” was named as one of the outside favourites for the Copa Libertadores title. But after an impressive start in the tournament with a goalless draw against tournament favourites Boca Juniors the young team had to pay dearly in a 5-0 defeat at the altitude of La Paz in 3.600 m. After 39 minutes Bolívar were winning already 3:0, Cali struggling too hard and conceding two more goals in the second half. Against Boca Juniors the defence of Cali didn’t seem very stable, but with Carlos Tevez not having his best day, there were no consequences.
Harold Preciado and Santos Borré, who will join Atlético Madrid this summer, can create with their pace, physical strength and technical skills problems in every opponents defence. Together with the wingers Andrés Roa and Fabián Sambueza the attacking quality of this team is immense. Fan idol Andrés Pérez usually provides the team with the stability and experience they are lacking due to their youth. Against Argentine Racing de Avellaneda “El Glorioso” will forced to show their full potential if they don’t want their dream of the first Copa Libertadores title to be finished before it really started. It’s time for Borré to show why he is one of the hottest prospects in Colombia.
Key player – Rafael Santos Borré
