If it is true, Universitario de Deportes is the clear favorite to win the Clausura Tournament because it depends on itself and its last match will be at home. However, the cream team should not trust itself because there is a combination of results that could leave it without the second tournament of the season and also take away any possibility of fighting for the League 1 2023.
YOU CAN SEE Liga 1 2023: dates and times of the 19th round of the Clausura 2023 with Alianza and Universitario
As we know, currently the cream team is the leader of the Clausura with 36 points and is followed by Melgar with 35, Alianza Lima with 34, Sporting Cristal with 33, and ADT with 33. In that line, Universitario will face Sport Huancayo at the Monumental Stadium for the 19th round of the competition, and it is obliged to win to avoid the following scenarios.
Can Universitario lose the Clausura Tournament and make it to the final of the League 1?
Yes, Universitario can come up empty-handed if it is not careful. And it is because if the cream team loses, it will be left with 36 points, and in the event of a victory for Melgar, Sporting Cristal, or Alianza Lima, they will lose the Clausura Tournament title. Even if they draw and the 'Dominó' wins, they will be left without the trophy.
However, the scenario can be worse because if the 'U' loses to Sport Huancayo and both Sporting Cristal and Melgar or Alianza Lima win, the team led by Jorge Fossati will lose the first place in the tournament and also the second place in the accumulated table, thus losing any chance of reaching the semifinals.
Let's remember that if you are the champion of the Apertura or Clausura but do not finish in the top two positions, you will have to play a semifinal, so if Universitario falls against the 'Rojo Matador', Melgar could be the champion of the tournament and Sporting Cristal second in the accumulated table, thus playing for a spot in the final against Alianza Lima and leaving the cream team with nothing.