Keirrison backs Palmeiras as favourites in LDU altitude clash | OneFootball

Palmeiras and LDU take the field this Thursday at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), for the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal. Present in the last match between the two teams, forward Keirrison, who played for Verdão in 2009, pointed out the favoritism of Abel Ferreira's team and recalled the difficulties he faced against the Ecuadorian team, including the altitude.

In that edition of the continental tournament, Palmeiras experienced the altitude on two occasions. In the old Pre-Libertadores, which had only one phase, Alviverde defeated Real Potosí, who played in a stadium at 3,967 m above sea level. In the group stage, Verdão faced the traditional LDU, which plays its games at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, with an altitude of 2,850 m.

Altitude vs. Palmeiras

“Against Real Potosí, we already felt the pressure of the altitude. It was really difficult already in the game with them, because it's really hard to breathe, it's hard to perform everything in terms of gameplay, stamina... Not because you don't have physical condition, but because it's very different from our altitude here. And we had already experienced this with Real Potosí. So, with LDU, we had some notion, but not adaptation, because to adapt you would need more days, more time at the location,” revealed the former forward, in an exclusive interview with Gazeta Esportiva.

“We created a strategy together with the staff, at the time, with the doctors, on how we would behave and play. I believe we wouldn't play the way we would in Brazil or another place with normal altitude. We had to hold back at some moments of the game to catch our breath, breathe better, use the ball at our feet much more, so that we could be more assertive in plays and bring the game to our side to get the result. But it's not easy,” he added.

Despite the strategies for the match, Palmeiras couldn't leave Ecuador with a positive result and lost 3-2. The match was valid for the first round of the group stage. Verdão recovered in the tournament and went on to beat LDU at the old Palestra Itália, 2-0, in the fifth round, and advanced from the initial phase in first place. They eliminated Sport in the round of 16, but fell to Nacional-URU in the quarterfinals.

Alviverde Favoritism

Based on Alviverde's recent record, Keirrison pointed to Palmeiras as the favorite for the match and the Libertadores title. The former player also highlighted the technological advances that make the experience of playing at altitude less aggressive to the body.

“Today, with much more preparation and technology than in our time, it contributes a lot. I believe that Palmeiras is already much more prepared for this and will make sure the team can win there at altitude. I believe that Palmeiras — I don't even need to say — everyone knows what Palmeiras means, especially today, as a structure, organization, mission. My support is for Palmeiras and I know the club's capacity. They have been doing this for six, seven years, at a high level, always reaching finals and winning. So, for me, Palmeiras is the favorite of the championship,” he concluded.

Palmeiras is fighting for a spot in its seventh Libertadores final and is in pursuit of the fourth continental tournament title. Whoever advances from the duel will face the winner of the match between Flamengo and Racing.

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