April 8, 2021 – 9:56 p.m.
for:
Drafting of El País
After the elimination in the South American Cup at the hands of Tolima, Deportivo Cali has only one goal left in this first half of the year: to qualify for the finals of the local championship.
To achieve this, those led by Uruguayan coach Alfredo Arias will need to beat this Saturday, in Palmaseca, the encopetado Atlético Nacional, which comes as the leader of Colombian football.
With two closing dates of the ‘all against all’, Cali is in sixth place in the table with 28 points and a goal difference of 6, so a victory at home against the verdolagas will allow them to qualify. be in the final phase of the tournament with an anticipation date.
How to beat National?
To face the crucial game this Saturday, the greatest strength that the sugars will have will be that their main players will arrive at the game rested.
During the week, Arias faced Tolima with a payroll full of substitutes, practically implying that the team’s goal this week is to defeat the green paisa.
Hernán Menosse, Jorge Arias, Darwin Andrade, Andrés Colorado, Jhon Vásquez, Gastón Rodríguez and Ángelo Rodríguez would be in the game to face a verdolaga team that will be worn out by their participation in the Copa Libertadores.
“Those who didn’t play against Tolima were because they were tired and had to recover. And we also managed to give minutes to Vásquez (who was coming from an injury) and Gastón,” explained the coach of the sugar mills.
With a fresh payroll, Cali will be forced to do what they know best to defeat their opponent: take the ball away from them and use the explosion of their attackers to win duels on the sides and reach goal position.
Once in the area, the strikers must have the same effectiveness shown on the last date of the League, in which they beat a tactically solid team like Equity 5-2.
“I think this match is important for Cali to recover its local football memory. There are many ingredients for the team to play a good game, because if it wins it not only qualifies, but also gets the lead in Nacional,” said Armando Carrillo, a former footballer and champion with the sugar mills in 2005.
For his part, journalist Marí Millán said that beating the verdolagas is not an impossible mission.
“Cali must regain defensive solidity and also generate football. But the most important thing is that the team must have the spirit of not giving up more points at home,” said Millán.
That being the case, the Greens hope to secure their classification to dream of the mid-year title.