LDU Quito (Ecuador) – Defensa y Justicia (Argentina)

LDU Quito are back into the Copa Sudamericana top four after beating Sao Paulo FC on penalties (losing 1-0 away in the return leg). On Friday, the team secured an important 1-0 home success over Orense to become leaders in the Ecuadorian league second stage, accumulating 14 points in seven matches. El Albo won four and drew two of their last eight games in all competitions, losing just two in that spell. At home, Liga are on four games unbeaten, with three victories and one stalemate.

Meanwhile, Defensa y Justicia knocked out Brazilian league leaders Botafogo FR by beating them 2-1 as hosts (at Banfield) in the return leg and 3-2 on aggregate. Last Saturday, coach Julio Vaccari fielded a completely alternative XI that succumbed to a 2-1 away defeat to CA Central Cordoba. However, they remain on nine points in the Copa Liga Profesional, occupying one of the playoff spots in group B and still into the Copa Libertadores’ zone in the aggregate table. That result also put an end to their ten-match unbeaten streak of five victories and five draws in all competitions. On a sorry note, Defensa are winless in the last three on the road, drawing two and losing one.

The big altitude of Quito is always a factor, making games more open as the host side knows that the visitors will get tired, but this Defensa is a team that won’t give up and will attack, so I like the chances of seeing an open game with chances for both sides.

BET: OVER 2.25 @ 1.83