Real Garcilaso vs Estudiantes LP Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Tuesday’s Copa Libertadores action sees Peruvians Real Garcilaso playing host to Argentines Estudiantes. The home side will be looking to make full use of the high altitude effect.

Being based at such a high altitude has already allowed Garcilaso to beat Santos 2-0 and pick up a point against Uruguayans Nacional. Nonetheless, La Máquina Celeste remain bottom of the group after being hammered away at Nacional and Estudiantes themselves, so desperately need a win in this fixture to have any hope of advancing.

Tabare Silva’s men are suffering on the road both domestically and in the continent, but confidence can remain high ahead of this clash in front of the home crowd, with 7 wins collected from the last 10 home matches. Though they lost 3-0 to domestic league leaders Sport Huancayo last time out at the Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, the hosts are typically strong at the back on their own patch, having kept clean sheets in the three games there preceding that loss, as well as in both of their group games thus far.

Those kind of statistics have to be a big worry for an Estudiantes outfit that have lost 4 of their last 5 matches to nil, and face the prospect of playing in such gruelling conditions with a squad that can hardly be described as the most athletic on the continent.

Pressure is really beginning to mount on boss Lucas Bernardi following some miserable recent showings and a poor result here, which would leave Los Pincharratas on the brink of elimination, would surely see his position come under scrutiny. The visitors have thus far picked up 4 points in the group, and taking recent evidence into account, as well as the fact they’ve lost 4 of their last 6 away games in Libertadores, it’s hard to envisage them building on that total here.

Thus, we see great value in backing Garcilaso on the Draw No Bet line. Both sides desperately need the points, but one cannot stress the significance of the conditions present enough. Clearly, on paper, the hosts are not a better side than Santos nor Nacional, but they’ve been able to more than match those sides as hosts thanks to being the only team used to the altitude.

Perhaps you’d give Estudiantes more of a chance if they were coming into the game on a good run of form, but that simply isn’t the case and the visitors have looked totally devoid of attacking ideas for quite some time now. Given Garcilaso’s general defensive strength on home soil, the visitors impotency and the difficulties they’ll face in summoning energy to mount attacks, backing a home win to nil also appeals, with a 1-0 margin of victory on the cards.