He knows them well. Diego Carranza is remembered in Peruvian football for his time at clubs like Alianza Atlético and Real Garcilaso. After retiring, the former player took on the role of goalkeeper coach for the Ecuadorian national team and gave his opinion on the match between Melgar vs. Independiente del Valle in the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana.
The 41-year-old Argentine former goalkeeper knows Matagigantes very well and witnessed the growth of this club in recent years. "It is a team that knows how to play these types of matches because they have already had the opportunity to be champions and have won the previous stage of the local championship," he said in an interview with Willax Deportes.
Regarding Melgar, the institution in which he played from 2004 to 2007, 'Pipa' highlighted the solidity of the team led by Pablo Lavallén in all sectors. He also emphasized their good form in the Liga 1.
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"A goalkeeper who has been performing well, a defense that stands tall and keeps clean sheets, and in attack they do well, finishing off the games. It is a solid team, as they have been demonstrating at both the local and international level and they have had brilliant moments," he emphasized.
On the other hand, the runner-up of the Peruvian tournament in 2012 praised Bernardo Cuesta —the top scorer in the continental competition— and considered him crucial for the match in Quito.
"He is an impressive and lethal forward, with good mobility. He is important for the team, it is evident beyond being the captain of the team, you can see that he is a key piece. He is one of those players who, beyond everything, it is noticeable that as a person he has a different group management," he emphasized.
Melgar vs. Independiente del Valle: possible lineups
Melgar: Carlos Cáceda; Matías Lazo, José Luján, Alec Deneumostier, Matías Lazo, Jean Pierre Archimbaud, Walter Tandazo, Martín Pérez Guedes, Kevin Quevedo, Luis Iberico, and Bernardo Cuesta.
Independiente del Valle: Moisés Ramírez; Matías Fernández, Mateo Carabajal, Richard Schunke, Luis Segovia, Jhoanner Chávez, Marco Angulo, Lorenzo Faravelli, Fernando Gaibor, Junior Sornoza, and Jonatan Bauman.
When and at what time will Melgar vs. Independiente del Valle be played?
Melgar vs. Independiente del Valle LIVE will determine one of the finalists of the Copa Sudamericana 2022 in home and away matches. The first one will take place on August 31 in Ecuador, while the second one will be on September 7 in Arequipa. Both matches will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (Peruvian and Ecuadorian time).