Roundtable

The BRAZIL ON LIBERTADORES 2008

Who will win the Boca Juniors?
Five Brazilians want to prevent bicampeonato of Boca in Libertadores
Mon, Feb. 11, 03h19 - AFP

Editorial central, February 11 (EFE) .- Sao Paulo, Flamengo, Fluminense, Cruzeiro and Santos will be the representatives in the Brazilian edition of the Copa Libertadores in 2008, and its mission is one: stop the Boca Juniors take bicampeonato.

Last year, the Argentine faturaram the cup overcoming the Grêmio, Porto Alegre, so indisputable: won by 3 to 0 in the way, in La Bombonera, and won, 2 and 0 in the second departure, silence the Olympic Stadium in the capital gaúcha.

This year the Grêmio not be present, but the Brazilian representatives have everything to go back to putting the country back into place the highest podium.

The main favorite is São Paulo, Brazilian and current bicampeão that comes with a reinforcement that promises to be the highlight of the competition: the attacker Adriano, the Inter Milan loaned to rediscover the path that led him to be called the "Emperor."

The Tricolor Paulista lost pieces as the defender Breno, hired by Bayern Munich (ALE), and half Souza, who now wear the shirt of Paris Saint-Germain (FRA). But hired substitutes as Juninho, sheriff of Botafogo last Brasileiro, and Carlos Alberto, whose international experience can help.

The team of technical Muricy Ramalho is in Group 7 and should have no trouble overcoming the Sportivo Luqueño, Paraguay, and Atletico Nacional - opponent's debut, on 27, in Medellin.

The other integral leaves the dispute between the unknown Boyacá Chicó, which strives to be a representative in the Colombian Libertadores, and Audax Italiano, which gave work to Sao Paulo in the phase of groups last year.

Another is the famous tricolor Fluminense. Winner of the Copa do Brasil, the club back to the Libertadores after 23 years of absence and is not sparing efforts to make a good paper, commanded by technical Renato Gaucho.

Supported by strong sponsor, the club spent a lot to bring reinforcements were: six, including the trio of attackers formed by Dodô (ex-Botafogo), Leandro Amaral (ex-Vasco), and Washington, who made fame in Brazil defending the Atletico-PR and was in the Urawa Red Diamonds, in Japan

But the draw was not anything good for the Tricolor Carioca. The team need to show very complicated to classify a key 8 with the Libertad, current bicampeão Paraguayan and that's been doing good campaigns in the Libertadores, the Universirátia Liga Deportiva de Quito, which complicates when playing in the altitude of the Ecuadorian capital, and Arsenal in Argentina , current champion of the South American Cup.

Fellowship of greatest fans in the country, the Flemish back to the Libertadores for the second year followed. And wants to prove that the excellent recovery in the Brazilian - left the area for classification of lowering the South American competition is not the fruit of chance.

To overcome the deletion in Octave 2007, the command of the technical Joel Santana bet in maintaining the base formed by goalkeeper Bruno, the defender Fabio Luciano, the socks Ibson, Renato Augusto Souza and the attacker.

Strengthen the rubro-negro the Gávea the attacker Diego Tardelli, with experience in international competitions by Sao Paulo and PSV Eindhoven (HOL), the Paraguayan Gavilán wheel, which was at Grêmio, and half Kléberson, the 2002 Cup champion of the Brazilian team and which was in dispute with Besiktas, Turkey.

Again, the team should not have trouble moving: faces the Peruvian Coronel Bolognesi and Cienciano - who play in the altitude of Cuzco - in addition to Nacional, Uruguay. The fight for the leadership should be between Rio and Uruguayans.

In key 6, the Saints need to overcome an opponent the most: a mistrust of the crowd with the team now led by technical Emerson Leon After the departure of Vanderlei Luxemburgo, the cast goes through broad process of recasting and bet seems to be back in younger, as the attackers German and Tiago Luís

The defense won the reinforcements of zagueiros Concrete without environment in Corinthians after the club's demotion to the second division of the Brazilian, and Fabão, man of confidence Leon when both were in Sao Paulo.

The team will debut opponent of the Cucuta Deportivo de Colombia, semifinalista the last Libertadores, the Chivas Guadalajara, traditional Mexican team, and San Jose, Bolivia and should not move from figurante.

The last Brazilian to ensure the Libertadores was Cruzeiro, which stated pass the Cerro Porteño of Paraguay to ensure the key 1, next to San Lorenzo (ARG), Caracas (VEN) and Real Potosi, more feared by altitude Bolivian that by the cast.

The team led by Adilson Batista gained strength in clashes with the Paraguayan and should quarrel with the Argentines the first of the key, unless some surprise. The young Guilherme, Wagner and Bolivian Marcelo Moreno are the highlights.

Without Brazilian, the key 2 appears as one of the most balanced: Deportivo Cuenca (EQU), Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG), Danube (URU), Lanús (ARG) by the vague promise fight to the last round - with slight favouritism for the Finally, recent champion of the Apertura Championship.

Group 3 is the feared Boca Juniors, which bet on the return of the final half Juan Riquelme to take one more cup. The time is still reinforced with the attacker Lucas Castromán, former America of Mexico, which was the focal point of the cruise.

The Boca will rival the Union Atlético Maracaibo, Venezuela, the Atlas of Mexico and Colo Colo of Chile. The Argentine team, now led by Carlos Ischia, tries conquest of the seventh Libertadores.

The Argentines also seek to recover goleada 4 to 2 for Milan in the final of the last World Clubs in Japan

The River Plate, the biggest rival Boca, is in Group 5, with America, Mexico, Universidad Catolica of Chile and Universidad San Martin estreante of Peru, who dreams surprise the favorites.

From tomorrow, 32 times to be fought in the decision, in July, and lift the trophy of the 49 th edition of the most important competition of South American football.

The champion of the Copa Libertadores represent the Confederation of South American Football (CSF) in the next World Clubs of the Fifa. Drinks.gif

If the title stay with some of the three times invited the Mexican CSF, the representative will be the best ranked South American. EFE