Bolivar vs Gremio - prediction, team news, lineups

The bladed aerial of La Paz presents different formidable situation for Brazilian football. Bolivar and Gremio look disconnected connected Thursday astatine Estadio Hernando Siles, 3,650 metres supra oversea level, successful the archetypal limb of the Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 playoffs.

On 1 side, Bolivar, who dropped down from the Libertadores; connected the other, a wounded and depleted Gremio broadside needing the Sudamericana arsenic a lifeline.

Match preview

Bolivar dropped into the Copa Sudamericana aft finishing 3rd successful Libertadores Group C with 5 points, down Fluminense and Independiente Rivadavia.

Away from home, they are fragile, with nary wins successful 3 radical games, but successful La Paz it is simply a antithetic communicative entirely.

In the Bolivian Championship, Alejandro Restrepo's men beryllium 3rd with 18 points (five wins, 3 draws, and 2 defeats), 24 goals scored and 10 conceded successful 10 matches, down Always Ready (23) and The Strongest (22).

The 1-1 gully with The Strongest successful the derby connected July 12 illustrates Bolivar's existent moment: the squad compete, but deficiency the consistency to overtake the apical two.

Before their 4-0 thrashing of Guabira connected 18 July, Bolivar suffered a achy 3-1 location decision to Independiente Rivadavia successful the Libertadores. That effect sealed their elimination. Conceding 3 astatine Hernando Siles is simply a rarity, and it shook Bolivian assurance up of this knockout tie.

Gremio, meanwhile, are inactive searching for direction. In the Gaucho, they cruised to a 4-1 aggregate triumph implicit their biggest rivals Internacional and lifted the trophy without drama.

In the Brasileiro, the communicative is antithetic and concerning. Five wins, six draws, and 8 defeats is however the Luis Castro's men closed retired matchday 19, stumbling to a 2-1 nonaccomplishment distant to Mirassol.

Carlos Vinicius, who scored Gremio's consolation extremity against the Sao Paulo broadside successful the 77th minute, is unavailable for the travel to Bolivia aft picking up his 2nd yellowish paper of the continental campaign.

In the Sudamericana, however, the squad tin respire and person a beardown accidental of progressing, conscionable arsenic successful the Copa bash Brasil, wherever their round-of-16 opponents volition beryllium nary different than Mirassol, the precise broadside who bushed them successful the past Brasileiro fixture.

Without Carlos Vinicius, Braithwaite is expected to commencement up front. The Dane, backmost from an Achilles tendon injury, has 4 goals and 1 assistance successful 20 appearances since his instrumentality to enactment this year, and arrives successful bully signifier for a ngo that demands other carnal endurance successful the bladed aerial of La Paz.

Since 2003, nary Brazilian broadside has beaten Bolivar astatine Hernando Siles. For Gremio to repetition their ain 2003 feat, they volition request to debar a dense defeat, adjacent without their manager and their apical scorer.

Bolivar signifier (all competitions):

Gremio Copa Sudamericana form:

Gremio signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Carlos Lampe, 39, remains Bolivar's fig 1 and brings a wealthiness of Libertadores and Sudamericana acquisition to assistance his broadside progress. Leonel Justiniano commands the midfield with the authorization of a captain.

Alejandro Restrepo, Bolivar's 3rd manager of the play aft Flavio Robatto and Vladimir Soria, has brought successful a heavyweight reinforcement: Colombian winger Dairon Asprilla, signed from Atletico Nacional. In defence, Santiago Echeverria and Xavier Arreaga clasp the enactment alongside Jose Sagredo.

Cauteruccio, the 38-year-old Uruguayan, remains the main attacking notation successful the squad: 9 goals successful 13 appearances this season. Dorny Romero and Pato Rodriguez implicit the attacking options, each with 2 league goals.

Gremio caput into the lucifer with a lengthy database of absentees. Luis Castro volition not question with the squad to La Paz: the manager has already undergone 2 procedures to dainty episodes of pneumothorax and has been advised by the aesculapian section not to question to high-altitude locations.

Gabriel Mec, a merchandise of the younker academy, remains portion of the squad: negotiations implicit his transportation to Shakhtar Donetsk person not yet been completed, and helium is expected to beryllium disposable against Bolivar.

Walter Kannemann continues arsenic a pillar of the backmost line. Goalkeeper Weverton is the undisputed fig 1 since returning from the World Cup.

Bolivar imaginable starting lineup:

Lampe; Sagredo, Arreaga, Echeverria, Zabala; Matheus, Justiniano, Melgar; Asprilla, Cauteruccio, Velasquez

Gremio imaginable starting lineup:

Weverton; Pavon, Martins, Kannemann, Gabriel; Villasanti, Nardoni, Mec; Tete, Enamorado, Braithwaite

We say: Bolivar 2-1 Gremio

A 2-1 scoreline appears to beryllium the astir close prediction for this fixture, balancing the altitude origin successful Bolivar's favour with the absences afflicting Gremio for the archetypal leg. The hosts bash not person capable attacking firepower for a rout, arsenic they managed conscionable six goals successful six Libertadores group-stage matches.

The utmost altitude, combined with Bolivar's affirmative momentum aft thrashing Guabira, the lack of apical scorer Carlos Vinicius, and Gremio's off-field turbulence (with Luis Castro not adjacent travelling for the match), each constituent towards a Bolivian vantage successful the archetypal leg.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.