Sampaoli targets fitness and tactics for Del Valle altitude test | OneFootball

Atlético wraps up, this Monday (20), preparations to face Independiente del Valle (EQU) this Tuesday (21), at 9:30 PM, at Estadio Banco Guayaquil in Quito, for the Copa Sudamericana. The match also promises to be one of the biggest physical challenges of the black-and-white season, since the Ecuadorian capital is located about 2,850 meters above sea level.

Aware of the difficulties posed by the altitude, coach Jorge Sampaoli has been focusing the squad on adaptation and on developing a strategy capable of minimizing the effects of the environment. The coach emphasized that the choice of the starting lineup will depend, above all, on the players’ physical condition.

Defense observed and “test” against Corinthians

In the previous match, against Corinthians, Sampaoli made changes to the defensive system. According to him, part of the intention was to observe connections and behaviors already thinking about the commitment in the international competition:

“I wanted to see how they behaved. Ruan, for example, had never played with Vitor Hugo. Saravia, for example, playing on the outside. We’re going to play at a very challenging altitude, where all Brazilian teams suffer,” he explained.

The tendency is for the coach to keep the sector with few changes, but the final decision will only be made after the team’s last training session in Guayaquil, where Galo is finishing its preparations. The black-and-white squad has an activity scheduled for 5:45 PM this Monday.

The trip to Quito will only take place tomorrow, on the day of the match, at 1:00 PM. This is a strategy similar to the one used in Bolivia, when Galo faced Bolívar in the quarterfinals of the Copa Sudamericana.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.