Vasco bid to end 14-year last-eight wait as Olimpia visit in Sudamericana | OneFootball

Vasco begin their bid to reach the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals against Olimpia at São Januário on Thursday at 19:00 Brasília time. They are chasing a first last-eight appearance in an international tournament in 14 years.

Their last deep run came in the 2012 Libertadores, when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Corinthians. Since then, the furthest they have reached is the round of 16 in this season and in 2020. According to Globo.com, despite a domestic focus on escaping the Brasileirão relegation zone, coach Pedro Emanuel will field his strongest available side.

The clubs met earlier in this campaign after being drawn in the same group. Vasco won 3-1 at São Januário, then lost 3-0 in Paraguay. Olimpia topped the group and will decide this tie at home.

Andrés Gómez and Brenner are out, and centre-back Carlos Cuesta is also unlikely to feature. All three have different injuries and, except for the centre-forward, whose issue is more serious, the medical staff hope they will be available to face Santos on Sunday.

The Sudamericana is seen by Vasco as a route back to next season’s Libertadores, a target set at the start of the year. New arrivals Sosa and Colidio are not yet registered and can only play if the team progress.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”