The Olimpia vs Santa Fe match will open the Copa Libertadores 2013 semifinals this Tuesday, July 2, 2013 (6:00 PM PST) at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Asuncion. The Libertadores semifinals have finally arrived with four teams left that will give everything to lift the most prestigious club trophy in the continent. Club Olimpia (PAR) arrived into this stage after defeating Fluminense (BRA) in the quarterfinals; Independiente Santa Fe (COL) did the same by eliminating Real Garcilaso (PER).
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Update: Olimpia defeated Santa Fe 2-0 thanks to goals from Miranda (65′ Penalty) and Ferreyra (80′). With the two goal lead, Olimpia takes a huge advantage over Santa Fe. Santa Fe will be forced to defeat Olimpia by 3 or more goals.
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The Olimpia vs Santa Fe series will be an extremely tight contest between two teams that have played wonderful throughout the entire competition. Both teams finished first in their respective groups, and both teams have not lost in their past three matches. To make things closer, both sides have similar goal differentials with Olimpia having a +11 difference while Santa Fe has +9.
Olimpia has a long history of success in the Libertadores as they have pariticipated 37 times while winning the title in 3 occasions; their most recent in 2002. This is a team that is still not favorite to winning the tournament, but if they obtain a good enough score against Santa Fe in the first-leg, they could go on into the final.
Independiente Santa Fe is in one of the best moments of their history. They recently qualified into the final in their domestic league, and on Tuesday they will have the opportunity of getting close of the Libertadores championship match. As opposed to Olimpia, Santa Fe does not have a rich history in the tournament as they have only played in 7 editions, while reaching the semifinals has been their best success. The winner of this semifinal will play the winner of the Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s Old Boys series.
Olimpia vs Santa Fe Prediction
The Olimpia vs Santa Fe first-leg match will be played defensively by both teams. With the month-long pause in the Libertadores, both squads will style a conservative system, in which the counter-attack will dominate. However, Olimpia will be the most aggressive team as they must leave Tuesday with the victory in order to ease their way into the final. The Olimpia vs Santa Fe match will end in a 1-1 tie.
Olimpia vs Santa Fe Television
The Olimpia vs Santa Fe Copa Libertadores semifinal match will be televised this Tuesday, July 2, 2013 on Fox Deportes at 6:00 PM Pacific.
