In the always challenging land of the Arena Fonte Nova stadium, Atlético Nacional has an appointment with its history and, above all, with its present. From 7:00 pm (Colombian time), the Antioquia painting will face the Bay of Brazil for the third day of the F group F of the Copa Libertadores, in a match that will not only mark the path to the classification to the round of 16, but it can be the turning point that the team needs to recover the confidence of its fans after the hard fall 3-0 against International.
The group’s panorama is tight. International leads with 5 units, followed just by Bahia with national 4. He arrives with 3 points and closes the El Nacional de Uruguay group, with just one unit. The victory is vital for the green of the mountain, which won would climb to the top of the group, erasing, at least partially, the opaque image left in Porto Alegre.
Although Bahía and Nacional have never faced in Copa Libertadores, the closest antecedent between the two dates back to the 2013 South American Cup. On that occasion, in the round of 16, the Greens won 1-0 in Medellín and lost for the same score in Salvador. In the penalty shootout, Franco Armani appeared to stop two shots and seal the passage to the quarterfinals. That triumph, recorded with golden ink in the Verlaga memory, returns today as an encouraging omen in the midst of difficulties.
The current bay has little to do with that of 2013. Today it is a club rejuvenated by the investment of the powerful City football Group, which acquired 90% of the club’s actions at the end of 2022, with the mission of turning it into a protagonist of South American football. Under the baton of Rogério Ceni, a methodical and offensive technician, Bay has consolidated a 4-2-3-1 system that has given him identity and results. In this Liberators, he tied internationally and defeated Nacional de Uruguay as a visitor.
Within their initial eleven are the offensive midfielders Marco Antônio, Danielzinho and Rildo, key pieces in the game generation. In addition, the defense has the experienced Colombian side Santiago Arias, who has found in Brazil a place to meet its best version.
Bahia arrives at the duel with a streak of seven games without losing at home – although with only two victories in his last five meetings in his fief -, which represents both a strength and a sign of vulnerability that national could take advantage of.
National, between absences and urgencies
The squad led by Javier Gandolfi not only faces the football challenge, but also a list of absences that complicates the assembly of the starting team. The coach himself will be suspended after his expulsion in the last game, as well as the navy hnestroza, an important piece in the offensive. Nor will Juan Manuel Zapata, injured in the right adductor, or Felipe Aguirre, who remains in the process of recovery after a muscle injury. Kevin Viveros has a bruise on his right knee that also took him out of the trip.
From La Tribuna, Gandolfi will be in permanent contact with his assistant Cristian Pellerano, who will direct from the technical area. The strategy is clear: go looking for the three points without fears, with intelligence and character. “This game is decisive for our aspirations. We know that a victory puts us above the group and will return the illusion to ours,” said the green coach in the previous one.
Amid the adversities, Nacional has a golden opportunity. The story in Fonte Nova smiles. Armani’s memory of Criminals in 2013 revives hope. But today, more than the past, it is about the present: to show that this team has what to fight, that it can overcome the falls and that the liberating dream is still alive.
Technical file
Event: Date 3 of the group phase of the Copa Libertadores
Estadio: Fonte Nova
Arbitrator: Mario Díaz (Paraguay).
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Television: ESPN and Disney+
Probable formations
Bay: Ronaldo; Santiago Arias, Kanu, David Duarte, Luciano Juba; Ribeiro, Erick, Jean Luke; Caully, Luciano Rodríguez and Erick Pulga.
Technical: Rogeiro Ceni.
National: David Ospina; Andrés Román, Juan José Arias, William Tesillo, Camilo Cándido; Jorman Campuzano, Matheus Uribe; Dairon Asprilla, Edwin Cardona, Andrés Sarmiento; Alfredo Morelos.
Technical: Cristian Pellerano (E).
