Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, May 14, the fifth round of the Copa Sudamericana will see Unión de Santa Fe take on Mushuc Runa. The match kicks off at 2:30 AM Central European Time. Here’s my pick for this showdown.
Unión de Santa Fe vs Mushuc Runa: match facts and head-to-head
- Unión de Santa Fe are winless in seven straight matches: four defeats and three draws.
- Mushuc Runa have lost their last three away games and have just one win in their last ten on the road.
- Unión de Santa Fe have conceded at least once in their last five matches, while Mushuc Runa have done so in four straight.
- At home, Unión de Santa Fe haven’t won in three games: one defeat and two draws.
- Mushuc Runa score more than 1.5 goals per game in 88% of their matches this season.
- Santa Fe have scored in both halves in only 10% of their games, compared to 38% for Mushuc Runa.
- Mushuc Runa lose to nil in 13% of matches; for Unión, it’s 33%.
- In the first meeting, Mushuc Runa hammered Santa Fe 3-0. That was their only encounter in history.
Unión de Santa Fe vs Mushuc Runa: match preview
Santa Fe opened the Copa Sudamericana group with a 1-0 win over Cruzeiro, but things quickly went downhill. Unión have now gone seven matches without a win. In this tournament, they haven’t picked up a single point since that opening victory. Santa Fe currently sit third in the group with three points. They trail second place by six points, and if Unión are still dreaming of making the playoffs, victory here is a must—plus they’ll need some help from results elsewhere. The odds are getting slimmer.
Mushuc Runa, on the other hand, are in red-hot form and lead the group. Three wins and a draw in previous rounds have already secured them a playoff spot. The only question is what position they’ll finish in. First place guarantees a direct berth to the round of 16, and for now, that’s exactly where Mushuc Runa stand. Second place means a playoff in the round of 32. With two games left against group outsiders, their chances are high, but dropping points now would be risky.
Probable lineups
- Santa Fe: Cardozo, Vargas, Facendini, Pardo, Pitton, Pitton, Palacios, Del Blanco, Martinez, Estigarribia, Gamba, Gamba
- Mushuc Runa: Formento, Quiñones, Mina, Quintero, Jachin, Arce, Davila, Tapiero, Peñalya, Simisterra, Orejuela
Prediction
Unión have no room for error—they absolutely need a win, even if it doesn’t guarantee anything yet. Mushuc Runa can’t let up either if they want to keep top spot in the group. My pick: over 2.5 total goals in the match at odds of 1.94.
