Danubio vs Deportivo Cali Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Wednesday’s Copa Sudamericana first round, second leg action sees Uruguayans Danubio playing host to Colombians Deportivo Cali. After losing the first leg 3-0, it’s fair to say the hosts need a miracle to advance to the next round.

Nonetheless, La Franja are certainly no strangers to finding themselves in such a situation, having also lost the first leg of their first round clash last year by the same scoreline, away at Brazilians Sport Recife. Although they didn’t manage to advance, inspiration can be drawn from their performance in the second leg of that clash, which the Uruguayans managed to win 3-0 prior to losing on penalties.

With performances fairly strong since the defeat in Colombia, confidence remains high in home ranks and fans are hopeful of seeing what would be a spectacular comeback. Pablo Peirano’s men have now won 3 of their last 4 matches, seeing themselves finish the opening phase of the domestic campaign in 4th, and all attention is now on trying to pick up what would be a fifth home win in 8 so far this year in this clash.

Meanwhile, it’s all been downhill for the visiting Cali since the first leg. 4 defeats from the last 6 have seen El Verdiblanco slide down the domestic table and as a result, they now face a very difficult match in the play-offs against Atletico Nacional, but cannot afford to look ahead to that one just yet, with away daysstruggles leaving a fear that this tie is far from over.

Indeed, as powerful as they are on home soil, Gerardo Pelusso’s men are having real issues on the road. All in all, the visitors have lost 6 of their 9 away games in 2018, winning just once and that’s a big concern coming into this one; as is a recent run of 4 games without so much as even scoring a goal.

Ultimately, though it’d be a big ask for Danubio to knock Cali out, they definitely have to be considered favourites to win the match alone. The two sides have gone in completely different directions since the first leg and it’s impossible to trust the Colombians on the road, particularly against a Danubio side that are reasonably strong on home territory.

We really like the price on offer for a Uruguayan win and that simply has to be the way to play. Danubio made a good fist at a comeback last year and should so again against an opponent in very poor form. We expected to see Cali pinned back for long periods and that should be enough to see Danubio run out victors on the night, although we do envisage them falling just short overall, with a 2-0 home victory our correct score prediction.