Santos are undoubtedly the household name in the group but the race for second should be intriguing with Independiente de Sante Fe, The Strongest and Sporting Cristal all hoping they can qualify.

Santos

The Club: The history of the association is closely linked to the Brazilian national hero Pelé. The footballer of the century fought his football boots for FC Santos from 1956 – 1974 and scored an unbelievable 619 (!) Hits in 648 games. In particular thanks to Pelé, the club gained international fame and was able to celebrate numerous successes. In addition to 22 state championships, 9 Brazilian championships and 3 Copa Libertadores, they also won the World Cup two times. The club is known for bringing new talents. Also the current star of FC Barcelona, ​​Neymar, comes from the youth of FC Santos.

The team: In the last season the Brazilian Serié A was celebrated. In the new year, on the other hand, not everything is going according to plan. After 6 game days of the “Paulista” state championship, only 10 points and the 3rd place in the table are available. The team is still far from the achievements of last season. Until the start of the Copa Libertadores still has to be worked on the form.

Transfers: Two well-known faces from the Bundesliga want to get back to FC Santos after less successful years in Germany. Hamburg defender Cléber Reis (€ 2.5 million transfer) and VfL Wolfsburg, the offensive midfielder Bruno Henrique (€ 4 million). In addition, the squad was strengthened with left-wing Jonathan Copete (right), defender Matheus Ribeiro, midfielder Leandro Donizete (left), Vladimir Hernández (Junior FC / Colombia), and Arthur Gomes (his own youth).

Key player: Ricardo Oliviera, a former national team player and European legionary, has already come to the age of 36, but is irreplaceable for the team and for coach Dorival Júnior as a leader. With 3 goals, the central midfield player Vitor Bueno drew their attention and could be an important support again this season.

Coach: The experienced coach Dorival Júnior has been coach of FC Santos since 2015 taking the number of clubs he’splayed and managed to 20.

Chefutbol prediction: If the experienced coach Dorival Júnior succeeds in integrating new entrants into the squad then FC Santos should move into the round of the group as a group winner. However, there is the danger that shaping the team around the aging star Ricardo Oliviera is a risk especially with a lack of supporting actors.

Independiente Santa Fe

The team: Santa Fe from Bogota are one of the most successful clubs in Colombia, and, along with nine championships in the home country, they also claimed the Copa Sudamericana two years ago. The last success was as recent as December, when Gustavo Costas’s team managed to win the League Aguila defeating Deportes Tolima in the final. “El Cardinal” as their commonly known play their home games in  “Estadio El Campin” with a capacity of 50,000 spectators.

The team: After five games in the championship they have already scored eleven points and have also maintained the solid defense of the last year. A solid defence will be key to their hopes of progressing in this years Copa as it was in their success in2016. The new arrivals have already been used several times in the league games and are becoming more integrated which is often not the case when South American sides are forced to make wholesale changes due to outgoings.

Transfers: The move of Johan Arango to Santa De from Deportivo Pasto was not particualrly controvercial for a domestic move despite his high profile owing to the fact he has already represented most Colombian sides. While his first love continues to be alcoholic drinks and parties, no one ever denied his talent. Many fans of the clubs for which he was on the field admired his playing style despite all the incidents: fast, tricky and a good shot. During the preparations for his new club, he also explained that he would only concentrate on football this time to help the club as best as possible. His ability is known, so this could be a good move for “El Cardinal”.

Arango, however, is not the only major transfer at Bogota, as Deniz Stracqualursi is another major offensive player in the capital. The 29-year-old Argentinian comes from Emelec from Ecuador and can look back on an interesting career including a phase in England when he endeared himself to the scouse fan base for his tiring running. On his day the Argentine is a handful for any defender but his career has also been plagued with indiscipline.

Key players: The defensive unit of Anderson Plata, Jonathan Gomez and goalkeeper Humberto Osorio, the champions were key in the championship, as was Tesillo, the defensive defender.
Another strength is the experience of the team. With 26 years on average, there are some players who have already played numerous international games. The two new players Arango and Stracqualursi have already added a great deal of attacking quality and can help the team break down strong opponents. It will be interesting to see if Santa Fe will continue to play with the defensive game tactics, despite the numerous good offensive players, and whether it will also be able to compete against international competitors.

Coach: 54-year-old Argentinean Gustavo Costas has a lot of different coach stations, and this already in different countries. His biggest successes are the championships in Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia. Probably the biggest success with Bogota was the victory of the Sudamericana in 2015, which brought him and Colombia an international title  after eleven years. Many draw comparisons in South America with Jose Mourinho, who as a coach succeeded in winning several international championships and prefers a defensive approach.

Chefutbol prediction: Santa Fe will expect to qualify from the group and if they do they could be an outside bet for the title due to their frustrating and organised approach while the confidence of Colombian sides due to recent success could be a factor.

Sporting Cristal

The club: Sporting Cristal is the current Peruvian champion and Peru’s most successful team this century. The club from the capital, Lima, which is a bit behind the traditional rivals Universitario and Alianza, owes this success to a astute club management and strong youth work.

The team: With ten points from five games, the team made a solid start under the new coach, Chemo del Solar. Particular highlights so far this campaign have been the offensive trio of Gabriel Costa, Diego Ifrán and Ray Sandoval who have all enjoyed a breakout season. The team is led by the two old heads in Jorge Cazulo and Carlos Lobatón. while the defense is also well-staffed however a lack of depth may be a concern.

Transfers: Sporting should be happy with their transfer activity bringing in more players than they have lost. Only the departure of the goalkeeper Diego Penny is of not however he has been excellently replaced by the Chilean Mauricio Viana. There are also notable new signings in the offensive positions with Joel Sánchez and Cristian Ortíz and strikers Irven Ávila and Rolando Blackburn. The defence has been relatively untouched with only Renzo Garcés coming in to completed the team.
Key player: The experienced play maker Carlos Lobatón dictates the tempo and is a very classy operator with the ball. However, he now lacks agility and his body requires a slower paced game to be fully effective. Other players include goalkeeper Viana, defender Jorge Cazulo – a classic leader type and attacker Diego Ifrán.

Coach: José Chemo del Solar already mastered the Cerveceros in 2005. He stands for fast, technically sophisticated football, which he was able to show at the Universidad San Martín last season. At Sporting Cristal the former national team has now a much better squad than he did with his former employers..

Chefutbol Prediction: The weakest team in the group on paper will depend on home form to stand a chance of qualification.

The Strongest

The Club: The Strongest from La Paz are one of the top teams in the league in Bolivia, alongside archrival Club Bolivar. They play their home games in the famous Estadio Hernando Siles located at over 3,600 meters above sea level which remains stadium the highest stadium for a national team. The association was founded on 8th April 1908.

The team: The champions of the Apertura 2016/17 having beaten Club Bolivar in a decision game and already qualifying for the Copa Libertadores 2018 in doing so. As always their home form is irresistible and will be key in the Copa, so far this year they have not lost a single game and have not conceded a single conundrum at home.
Transfers: The club weren’t particularly active but they were able to hold almost all players. In the attack, there was only one exit, and this was the case with Rodrigo Ramallo who moved to Brazilian club EC Vitoria. The Uruguayian Matias Alonso was brought in who could face his brother, Ivan, who represents Argentina’s river plate. In defense, Marvin Bejarano is certainly the most prominent entry who joined from Oriente Petrolero.

 Key players: The iconic Pablo Escobar is both the captain and the playmaker at The Strongest. He was voted the best player in the Bolivian League and could easily lay claim to the nickname ‘El Magico’ by which his more famous namesake was known as. The engine in the midfield is the little Alejandro Chumacero, he runs tirelessly up and down. Daniel Vaca is the clear number one in the goal and was a major factor in why The Strongest claimed the league title last year.

 Coach: The Venezuelan Cesar Farias has been a hero in The Strongest since the Apertura title win. Above all, he finally succeeded in getting the problems on the defensive under control. His trademark are the black gloves, which he does not wear regularly any more. With his 43 years he is one of the younger coaches in Bolivia and previously worked mainly a coach in his native Venezuela.

Chefutbol prediction: Qualification will as always depend on home form which will need to be flawless to assure qualification in a tricky group. They are by some distance the most competitive Bolivian side in this year’s tournament and represent the nation’s only chance of success.