Deportes Iquique vs Guarani Asuncion Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Chilean side Deportes Iquique make their return to the Libertadores following a 3 year absence. They will be hoping to get off to a good start this year, after only amounting 3 points in the 2013 group stage. It’s not been a good year for Chilean clubs in the Libertadores so far, with Union Espanola and Colo Colo having already been eliminated.  That leaves just Iquique and Universidad Catolica to fly the flag, and the hosts here know that a win is vital if they are to avoid the same fate as their compatriots.

Iquique are in very good form after making a flying start to their domestic campaign. They lie in 2nd place, having won their first three games but drawing the last two. In attack they’ve looked very sharp, scoring 11 goals in those 5 games. Los Dragones Celestes played last Friday, picking up a point from a 2-2 home draw with Audax Italiano.

Guarani have been a constant fixture in the Libertadores in recent years. This year’s edition marks their fourth consecutive participation. They will be hoping for a run similar to that of their effort in 2015, where they made the semi finals before going out to eventual winners River Plate. El Aborigen take the field courtesy of an eleventh national league, after winning last year’s Clausura phase.

Guarani have made a solid start to their title defence back home. Defeat at Libertad was followed up by wins over Sol de America and General Diaz. Their game at the weekend was postponed so that they could concentrate on continental efforts. That means that Guarani haven’t played in over a week, with their last action being a 3-3 draw at home to rivals Olimpia.

Deportes Iquique’s can’t count on much of a home advantage here. Construction work on their stadium has forced organiser CONMEBOL to move the tie to Calama, a city over 250 miles away from Iquique. That’s quite a big blow and should make for a poor attendance.

Both sides know the importance of the fixture. It’s likely to be a battle between them for 2nd place, with Gremio the clear group favourites and Zamora outsiders. We should see an open game, given how both sides have been playing recently and what’s on the line.

The two have been scoring and leaking goals for fun in recent weeks. Both teams have scored in four of the “host’s” five league games this year, while it’s a clean sweep of four out of four for Guarani.  There’s no reason why that can’t continue, the games have been evened out by the venue switch, and both sides should be going for the win. We think that Iquique will edge an entertaining game 2-1.