The Leon vs Bolivar Copa Libertadores game will be played this Wednesday, April 16, 2014 (6:00 PM Pacific) at the Estadio Nou Camp. The ‘panzas verdes’ and ‘celestes’ will face each other for the third time already in this tournament. They were both part of Group 7 where Bolivar finished in first place; Leon in second.
The team coached by Gustavo Matosas is ready to host a difficult rival like Bolivar. Leon was unable to defeat Bolivar during the group stage, although the two games were dominated by the Liga MX side. In those games, the ‘panzas verdes’ played well offensively, produced several scoring opportunities, but were ultimately denied wins by the cross-bars, goalkeepers, and poor precision by the forwards.
Leon finished second in their group, finishing with 10 points; 10 goals scored and 7 received. To reach the Round-of-16, the ‘fiera’ visited the majestic Estadio do Maracana, and defeated Flamengo 3-2. That gave the Mexican team access into the knock-out stages, but most importantly, the needed morale push and momentum going into the difficult series against Bolivar.
The team coached by Xabier Azcargorta has been one of the nicest surprises in this Copa Libertadores 2014. The Bolivian team won Group 7 after finishing with 11 points, scoring 8 goals, and receiving 6. Bolivar has been a dark-horse because nobody expected them to reach the knock-out stages, let alone win their group.
The ‘celestes’ had several outstanding performaces, like defeating Leon 1-0 in Mexico, tying Flamengo 2-2 at the Maracana, also defeating the Brazilians in Bolivia 1-0. In the Round-of-16 series against Leon, they will attempt to recreate some of that magic, although they will have to play two perfect counter-attacking games in order to defeat their Mexican counterparts.
The second-leg match will be played next April 22nd in La Paz, Bolivia. The winner of this Round-of-16 series will face the winner between Santos Laguna and Lanus in the quarterfinals.
Leon vs Bolivar Prediction
The Leon vs Bolivar first-leg match will be an intense game between Leon who will play offensively, and Bolivar who will style a defensive, and counter-attacking game. The ‘panzas verdes’ need to win this game by at least two goals because playing in the high altitude of La Paz will be extremely difficult to overcome. Meanwhile, Bolivar will play on the counter-attack with hopes of obtaining a goal to take advantage of the away-goal rule. The Leon vs Bolivar game will end in a 2-0 win for the Mexican team.
Leon vs Bolivar TV Schedule
The Leon vs Bolivar Copa Libertadores game will be televised on FOX Deportes at 6:00 PM Pacific.
Leon vs Bolivar Highlights
The Leon vs Bolivar video highlights will be uploaded soon after the end of the match.
