Libertadores 2013 [R]

I completely forgot about these games. Gremio in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the Group Stage. ON NOW!

Assisti o jogo todo. E o juiz esteve mal no segundo tempo.

Nossa!

Gremio wins on the last penalty kick 1-1 (5-4). Exciting shoot-out. They are now in the same group as Flu.

Sao Paulo also advanced tonight and are in the same group as Galo.

The player that stood out most to me from the prelims has to be Rodrigo Dias from Iquique. A true number 10 who is skillful and a warrior at the same time that is what the libertadores is all about.

Ganso will be on the bench for the big Libs match in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday. How has he looked and is there any reports that is he disappointing in training or anything like that?

Just to get someone more defensive with a higher work rate pretty much. Ganso has been pretty average regardless i'm not surprised to see him on the bench with Sao Paolo going on the road.

Is Ganso still nursing an injury? He seems kind of reluctant on the field.

Thats how I'd describe his game regardless of injury.

What kind of preview? List 4-5 players is very difficult. I'll present the most important/famous names:
Corinthians = Pato, Guerrero, Paulinho, Cássio, Danilo
São Paulo = Luis Fabiano, Jadson, Ganso, Rogério Ceni, Lúcio
Fluminense = Fred, Deco, Thiago Neves, Wellington Nem, Cavalieri
Atlético-MG = Ronaldinho, Bernard, Tardelli, Réver, Leonardo Silva
Grêmio = Zé Roberto, Vargas, Barcos, Elano, André Santos
Palmeiras = Prass, Henrique, Souza, Valdivia, Kleber

One of these things is not like the other...

Right. Any questions, contact us

Galera, eu postei o seguinte no fóro da CONMEBOL/Libertadores mas vou colocar aqui também porque tem tudo a ver.

Hoje o futebol brasileiro estréia na fase de grupos: Atlético Mineiro X São Paulo. Ronaldinho Gaúcho e Gilberto Silva de um lado; Rogério Ceni e Lúcio de outro. Encontro de jogadores do Penta. E têm Diego Tardelli e Luís Fabiano, atacantes da Seleção, em campo também.

Que em 2013 tenhamos uma “quadra,” um “four-peat” do futebol do Brasil conquistando o continente!


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Corinthians: the defending champions are back and they're hungry for more. Following their victory over Chelsea, they relinquished Juan Martinez, but they remain a well-oiled unit. Their midfield will be pivotal again as Paulinho and Ralf will endeavor to breakup opposing playmaking, and Paulinho will at times surprise up front - where Corinthians will now boast Alexandre Pato. Teamwork and strong defense are this Corinthians' hallmarks, and with Tite's meticulous coaching, look for Corinthians to win its group and to make a very strong case for a back-to-back campaign.

Palmeiras: the good news is that the team’s core remains unchanged, with Henrique and Ramos as defenders. The bad news is that Barcos, their one goalscorer, has left – for Grêmio, who is in the Libertadores and could therefore potentially be in Palmeiras’ way later on. Given this team has gone through a lot of turmoil and since the main objective in 2013 is to return to the Brazilian Série A, don’t expect much from this team come the round of 16. Anything beyond that would be a success.

Fluminense: 3rd in the 2011 Brasileirão and its champion in 2012, Fluminense still boasts one of the strongest rosters in Brazil. Rafael Sóbis, Fred, Deco, Wellington Nem, and Thiago Neves are all highly talented players and they have all now played the Libertadores (Sóbis won it with Internacional in 2006 and in 2010). Diego Cavalieri is probably the best goalkeeper in Brazil at the moment. Under the coaching of Abel Braga, Fluminense was seconds away from a PK shootout in last year’s quarterfinals before a last-minute goal sealed its elimination. This team is hungry, possibly more than any other Brazilian participant, and if it lives up to its potential, it may finally conquer the continent.

Atlético Mineiro: runner-up in 2012’s league, Atlético too is hungry for continental glory. Its roster is not as strong as Fluminense’s (Ronaldinho Gaúcho notwithstanding) nor as defensively solid as Corinthians’. But it will be a force to be reckoned with. Along w/ the former Brazil NT and Barcelona star, RG10 up front has Jô, Diego Tardelli (also a one-time international) and Bernard. Cuca’s men will surely reach the round of 16 and a quarterfinal appearance is highly likely, but to get there, they will have to deal with…

São Paulo: São Paulo returns to the Copa for the first time since 2010. With the arrival of Luís Fabiano and the departure of Lucas, SPFC approaches the tournament after its aggregate 8-4 victory over Bolívar in the preliminary round. Its defense, shaky in early play in early 2013, should become steadier as Rhodolfo and former Bayern München starter Lúcio join forces to safeguard the net guarded by veteran Rogério Ceni. Up front, Jadson will serve as playmaker, in a role he’s been outperforming the recovering Ganso. Osvaldo, Cañete, and Aloísio will take turns up front with Luís Fabiano. The Libertadores has for long been the most prioritized tournament by SPFC’s brass, and anything less than a semifinal appearance will be a failure. On paper, this team can go all the way – it remains to be seen whether it’ll live up to its great potential.

Grêmio: the “other” team from Porto Alegre is back. Under the coaching of Vanderlei Luxemburgo, this team was 3rd in the 2012 league and it too boasts former UEFA stars. Zé Roberto, at 37, remains in top shape. Dida, who suffered a milk shoulder injury, will bring Champions’ League experience to this club. Elano hopes to accomplish in 2013 what he achieved with Santos in 2011, and he’ll have plenty of options to pass the football to as Eduardo Vargas (formerly of La U de Chile) and Barcos will be options up front. The two-game playoff vs. Liga de Quito showed a team with good ball possession and offensive players who struck the woodwork twice – and who managed to keep cool under pressure during the PKs.

VERDICT: it’s hard to say which of these 6 teams is the strongest Brazilian contender. Corinthians has an advantage, at least psychological, because it went all the way in 2012, and because it retains most of the players it had. I give it the edge followed closely by Fluminense. Grêmio, Atlético Mineiro, and São Paulo are a bit below, as they are not cohesive units the way Corinthians and Fluminense are. Palmeiras probably will not contend. But, the chances of a fourth straight Brazilian winner in the Libertadores are very high and quite good.

ATLÉTICO-MG X SÃO PAULO
VS

Local: Independência, em Belo Horizonte (MG)
Data: 13/2/2013, quarta-feira
Horário: 22h
Árbitro: Marcelo de Lima Henrique
Assistentes: Altemir Hausmann e Fabricio Vilarinho

ATLÉTICO-MG: Victor; Marcos Rocha, Leonardo Silva, Réver e Júnior César; Pierre, Leandro Donizete, Bernard e Diego Tardelli; Ronaldinho Gaúcho; Jô
Técnico: Cuca

SÃO PAULO: Rogério Ceni; Paulo Miranda, Lúcio, Rhodolfo e Cortez; Wellington e Denilson; Douglas, Jadson e Osvaldo; Luis Fabiano
Técnico: Ney Franco

SPFC and AtMG both have great squads. I like Ney Franco, he is overlooked IMO but this is the competition to prove his worth in salt.

I don't think Flu will win the libertadores this year either. This is still essentially the same team who lost to Boca in the knockout rounds. They are still a favorite of course but I don't trust Deco to be able to shoulder the load of play making. Also I feel like there is way more versatility in squads like Corinthians, Sao Paulo, and Atletico.

Don't under estimate them. Flu has a great time and they have Fred to secure some home game goals. Now on away games they need to prevent unnecessary goals which bruised the team pride some years ago in clutch games.
Brazilianclubs 2 worst nightmares are Boca and Bianchi.
A Brazilian team will make it to the final (not Palestra Italia).

Bianchi wasn't coaching last year and Flu got a good result on the road against Boca home form, was the problem. It is a matter of opinion I just think they lack creativity, not under estimating them at all. Boca is better all around this year regardless , Riquelme willed that team to the finals last year.

Fluminense definitely has the caliber to win the Libertadores. An excellent and seasoned roster and a coach who has been there. They are an outstanding team who has nowhere else to rise to – Fluminense won the Brasileirão in 2010 and in 2012, finished 3rd in 2011, and the next and logical goal is the Libertadores.

Teams have seasons and stints. Fluminense has been tearing it apart since 2010, and it will probably remain well-managed and competitive in 2014, a failure to win the Libertadores in 2013 could have repercussions – some players may wish to leave (and teams change every year; there are no guarantees the 2014 Fluminense would be as good as the current version).

Corinthians has already won the Libertadores. They’re very likely to win it again, but because several of the current players were there when their team won it all, they don’t have much to prove now – these players are responsible for getting that proverbial monkey off Corinthians’ back (of never winning the Libertadores). The only goal this Corinthians will now have is to show they weren’t a one-hit wonder like Once Caldas in 2004 or Liga de Quito in 2008. If they make it to the final (and even if they lose, as SPFC did in 2006 or Palmeiras in 2000), they’ll have proven once and for all that theirs is truly a championship mettle.

São Paulo, Atlético Mineiro, and Grêmio are also great teams. But unlike Corinthians and Fluminense, they’re still “forming.” Granted, SPFC and Grêmio finished in the top 4 of the Brasileirão, and Atlético Mineiro was the runner-up. But whereas Corinthians has reached its apex, these three teams have not. SPFC has yet to see Ganso at full strength, Diego Tardelli is yet to tap his full potential w/ Atlético as he just arrived and needs to gel w/ the team, and the same applies to Barcos and Vargas at Grêmio. If these three teams fall short this year but maintain their cores and their most recent acquisitions, I would predict they will be very competitive come the 2013 Brasileirão, for a shot at the 2014 Libertadores.

If Corinthians fails to secure a 2014 Libertadores berth, it’ll simply have to rebuild, and given how professionally the team is now managed, it probably won’t take too long before they contend for another Libertadores appearance. Ditto for Fluminense. But Corinthians reached the summit already; it can “afford” to fall short in 2013. Fluminense cannot. How much longer can Fluminense sustain this upward curve? What if a disappointing performance in 2013 exhausts Abel Braga’s political capital w/ Fluminense’s cartolas? Ney Franco, Cuca, and Vanderlei Luxemburgo probably won’t get burned if they fail in the 2013 Libertadores, unless they endure historic vexames, and they’ll be able to regroup in the 2013 Brasileirão. Will Fluminense have this luxury?

2013 will have to be Fluminense’s year. Look at Santos. They made it to the 2011 and 2012 Libertadores – they lost Ganso – and they are absent this year. We have not had the exact same teams in a following year’s Libertadores for many years – I wouldn’t be surprised if it had not happened once since the 1970s (if ever!).

If Fluminense wins it, it’ll be impressive – because the odds are high they’ll face another Brazilian in the mata-mata (as they did against Internacional in 2012) and except for Palmeiras, all the Brazilians are very tough.

As for Boca Juniors and Carlos Bianchi, they are not the team they were in the early 2000s. Granted, Juan Riquelme is back, and they now add El Burrito Martinez to play w/ Santiago Silva up front. But this team is older, and their defense is not what it once was. Whatever aura of invincibility they may have had has been stripped away. They were eliminated at home by Defensor Sporting in 2009; Fluminense’s lack of experience allowed them to equalize at the last minute in Rio in 2012; and, a finalist from Brazil, without any standouts but with 11 players who embodied the word “aplicado,” showed Boca was perfectly beatable.

I will go further than your prediction: 2013 will see a Brazilian Libertadores winner.

Well its not really all that brave to pick a Brazilian as a winner of the 2013 libertadores

But it sure feels good to see our country's soccer succeed.

Haha definately not a long shot for a brazilian to win it. I'd be really curious to see the betting odds for each team. I'm about to do a half-ass search for it and will post if I find it.

Corinthians+300(1)Compare odds
Fluminense+600(1)Compare odds
Sao Paulo+700(1)Compare odds
Boca Juniors+900(1)Compare odds
Velez Sarsfield+1100(1)Compare odds
Gremio+1200(1)Compare odds
Atletico-MG+1200(1)Compare odds
Atl. Nacional+1400(1)Compare odds
Lanus+1900(1)Compare odds
Libertad Asuncion+2000(1)Compare odds
U. De Chile+2000(1)Compare odds
Newells Old Boys+2000(1)Compare odds
Tigre+2000(1)Compare odds
U. Espanola+2200(1)Compare odds
Palmeiras+2500(1)Compare odds
Arsenal Sarandi+3300(1)Compare odds
U. Catolica+3900(1)Compare odds
Penarol+4000(1)Compare odds
Cerro Porteno+4000(1)Compare odds
Emelec+5000(1)Compare odds
Olimpia Asuncion+5000(1)Compare odds
Millonarios+5000(1)Compare odds
Barcelona SC+6600(1)Compare odds
Club Tijuana+6600(1)Compare odds
Santa Fe+6600(1)Compare odds
Club Nacional+6600(1)Compare odds
Deportes Tolima+6600(1)Compare odds
Toluca+8000(1)Compare odds
Huachipato+8000(1)Compare odds
Deportes Iquique+10000(1)Compare odds
San Jose+20000(1)Compare odds
Garcilaso+20000(1)Compare odds
Sporting Cristal+20000(1)Compare odds
The Strongest+25000(1)Compare odds
Caracas+50000(1)Compare odds
Lara+75000(1)Compare odds

I found a stream that allows the viewer to watch live games - with Brazilian anchormen. This one is from SporTv.