Atletico Huracan vs Sporting Cristal Prediction: Will Huracan Score and Take Advantage of Lima for the Second Leg?

In the upcoming fixture of the Copa Libertadores, Third Round, Atletico Huracan will take on Sporting Cristal at the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó in Buenos Aires. Club Atletico Huracan is coming off consistent performances in the Argentine Primera Division, whereas Sporting Cristal has been playing in the Peruvian league. The top continental championship is at stake as the two top teams of their respective leagues will face in the heart of Buenos Aires tomorrow. Sporting Cristal and Atletico Huracan have met twice in Libertadores 2016, in which Huracan won (6-5). Referring to the matchups of the two sides in the past, the upcoming contest is likely to be high scoring one.

Going forward in the third stage of the continental championship, Huracan is coming off a draw against San Lorenzo (1-1) in which Matias Coccaro scored the only goal, and that too on a penalty. In the last outing, Huracan looked off-color as they didn’t maintain discipline on the field. Fernando Tobio and Patricio Pizarro were sent off the field in the last few minutes of play. Before that, Huracan did manage to beat Boston River (1-0) in which Matias Coccaro scored the only goal of the match. Huracan is carrying an unbeaten form from the last 9 matches played, hence, the odds are likely to favor the Argentine favorite for winning. Scoring against Huracan will be tough for Sporting Cristal, as Huracan has allowed only 2 goals in the last 6 matches played.

Lucas Chaves, Guillermo Soto, Fernando Tobio, Gastón Sauro, Ángel Benìtez; Gabriel Gudiño, Santiago Hezze, Federico Fattori, Jonás Acevedo; Nicolás Cordero and Matías Còccaro.

Going in the matchup, Sporting Cristal is coming off a draw against Asociacion Deportivo Tarma (0-0) in the local tournament. However, its last win over Nacional (5-1) was something unexpected. Sporting Cristal scored back-to-back goals in the second half of play, denting Nacional in every possible way. Irven Avila, Ignacio, Carlos Lora, and Washington Corozo scored goals. Talking about the defense, Sporting Cristal has allowed only 2 goals in its last 5 matches. Therefore, the two teams are likely to play with a balanced lineup and strategy as qualification is at stake. Considering the match-winning performance of Irven Avila, the striker is likely to be made part of the opening lineup.

Renato Solís; Jhilmar Lora, Gianfranco Chávez, Ignacio Da Silva, Nilson Loyola; Jesús Castillo, Jesús Pretell, Adrián Ascues or Jostin Alarcón; Leandro Sosa Toranza, Washington Corozo, Irven Ávila.

Going in the matchup, the two sides will be clearly playing defense instead of attack. Secondly, the two teams have emphasized on keeping clean sheets, the upcoming match is likely to have a total of under 2.5 goals. If Huracan is looking to keep the advantage ahead of the leg 2 away fixture, it will need to take some risk and score. Hence, I am backing the home side to win and score in the second half of play (1-0).

• CA Huracan to Win for 1.45
• Total Under 2.5 for 1.83
• Both Teams To Score - No for 1.65