Deportivo Cuenca Plays San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires Tonight — Copa Sudamericana Kickoff at 7:30 PM

Tonight

Deportivo Cuenca travels to Buenos Aires tonight to face San Lorenzo in a Copa Sudamericana (Grupo D) match — "Este jueves 16 de abril, desde las 19:30" — Thursday, April 16, kickoff at 7:30 PM Cuenca time (source).

It's a test match for Cuenca's hometown club at a famous Argentine stadium, and a good excuse to find a local bar with a TV.

Where It's Happening

The game is at the Estadio Pedro Bidegain, "conocido como el Nuevo Gasómetro" — San Lorenzo's home ground in Buenos Aires. For a visiting Ecuadorian side, it's a classic road test: hostile crowd, tight pitch, an opponent playing at an elevation far lower than Cuenca's.

What the Coach Is Saying

Deportivo Cuenca's coach Jorge Célico laid out the approach:

"Es importante abrir la cancha, intentar penetrar desde los carriles interiores y exteriores, sosteniendo una estructura que nos permita atacar sin perder el orden."

In plain English: open up the pitch, attack from both inside and wide channels, but keep defensive shape.

Célico also warned against over-committing:

"No es la idea salir alocadamente a buscar el resultado. Este tipo de partidos, si cometés errores, los pagás caro."

And on the game plan itself:

"El plan de juego está ligado a nuestra idea. No será defensivo, pero sí inteligente."

Read between the lines and you hear a manager who respects the venue and the opponent.

Injuries and Lineup

Two Deportivo Cuenca players won't feature:

• Ariel Mosquera did not travel to Buenos Aires
• Romario Ibarra is under medical observation

The expected Deportivo Cuenca XI per El Mercurio: Facundo Ferrero; Andrés López, Patricio Boolsen, Santiago Postel, Carlos Arboleda; Lucas Mancinelli, Mateo Maccari, Edison Vega; David González; Melvin Díaz, Nicolás Leguizamón.

San Lorenzo's expected XI: Orlando Gill; Ezequiel Herrera, Germán Corujo; Gregorio Rodríguez, Lautaro Montenegro; Carlos Insaurralde, Nicolás Tripichio, Nahuel Barrios, Teo Rodríguez; Alexis Cuello, Rodrigo Auzmendi.

What This Means for You

• If you're looking for a place to watch, head to a sports bar. Any venue in Cuenca that carries Copa Sudamericana should have this match on. Ask the staff — many bars happily put the game up if you ask before kickoff.
• Kickoff is 7:30 PM Cuenca time. Dinner first, match after.
• This is a group stage match — results matter, but it's not a knockout. Don't over-read a bad result or a great one.
• Cheering for the local side is a low-friction way to connect with Cuencanos. Football is instant common ground here. A casual "¿viste el partido?" goes a long way.

Vamos, Dépor.

Source: El Mercurio