Caracas vs Junior Match Preview

Caracas (Ven) welcomes Junior (Col) for the first leg of the second qualifying round of Copa Libertadores. The second leg will follow next week in Colombia. Both games have no spectators due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Caracas had a rather easy task in the previous round vs Cesar Vallejo. In the first leg, they played a bore draw in Peru followed by a clear win 2-0 in the second leg played in Venezuela. They were more experienced and superior than their opponents and deservedly qualified in the second qualifying round of Copa Libertadores.

Their manager Noel Sanvicente had plenty of time to prepare his team for these two matches vs Junior as the domestic league in Peru hasn't started yet. There are no new missings, except for some long-time injuries who didn't perform either in the previous round.

On the other hand, Junior has a mediocre start in the Colombian league. They are 7th-placed after 11 rounds played, having 5 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses so far. In their most recent game, they played a 1-1 draw vs Bucaramanga. Miguel Borja scored their only goal from the penalty spot.

Visitor's manager Luis Perea has not available tonight forward Teofilo Gutierrez, as well as defender Jefferson Gomez due to injuries.

Caracas has the home advantage in this first leg and will try to take a clear win to become the favorites to qualify. Junior is not at their best, however, Copa Libertadores is a prestigious competition and they will try to enter the group stage. I expect both sides to be very careful in this first leg. The draw in the first half is my last call for this one, offered at 1.95 odds.