Quito -
Liga de Quito, as the winner of the first stage of LigaPro Serie A, secured its ticket to the 2021 Copa Libertadores. Barcelona and Independiente del Valle joined the albos in the second phase of the tournament due to their position in the accumulated table, leaving only one spot remaining for a representative to complete the list of Ecuadorian qualifiers for the next edition.
There are two teams vying for that last spot, with Universidad Católica and Emelec, in that order, both clubs dependent on the same opponent: Barcelona.
The saints will face the toreros in the last matchday, to be played at a unified time, on Sunday at 19:00.
Dates and times for the last matchday of the phase 2 of LigaPro 2020
Based on the accumulated table, Católica currently holds the Libertadores ticket: they have 50 points and are 8 units away from the fifth-placed team, Aucas.
A loss or a draw guarantees Universidad Católica's return to the Copa after 40 years; however, and paradoxically, a victory puts their qualification at risk, as it leaves the possibility open for Emelec to reach the final and snatch the spot from the camaratas, without prejudice to Liga (Q), Barcelona and Independiente, who have already secured their tickets.
A victory for the university students stops the toreros at 28 points in the second stage standings.
In order to reach the top of the table, win the stage and be a finalist in the tournament, Emelec must defeat Olmedo, which would bring them to the same 28 points as Barcelona, but then the goal average between the blues (10) and yellows (15) comes into play, which would be resolved with a victory by at least three goals difference for Emelec against Olmedo and a defeat by two goals for Barcelona in Quito.
How the champion title or the finalists of LigaPro 2020 are determined
The toreros have achieved their first objective. "We qualified for the Copa, something that Barcelona doesn't always play, but we still have one more step to reach the final and we will fight for that," said coach Fabián Bustos.
With the dispute in the Atahualpa stadium for a spot in the Copa or the LigaPro final, the game between the camaratas and the toreros has been surrounded this week by "morbo" (tension), according to coach Santiago Escobar. "We'd rather retire from football than give away a match. We are in a serious institution," emphasized the coach.
"We never ask for anything to be given to us, we will do our job and hopefully we can bring another joy to the people with the final," Bustos pointed out. (D)