Just like Racing, Ñublense will arrive at Wednesday's debut in the Copa Libertadores with the support they received from their last games. While the Academy has just defeated Huracán 2-1 on Saturday, the Chilean team also won a match in their country's championship: they defeated O'Higgins 2-1 with goals from Axel Valdes and Patricio Rubio, the team's top scorer with four goals. Thus, García's team recovered from the 2-1 defeat against Curicó Unido. All about how Ñublense arrives at the debut with Racing in the Libertadores.
This is how Ñublense, the Chilean team, lined up in their recent match, in a 3-4-1-1 formation: Nicolás Pérez; Bernardo Cerezo, Rafael Caroca, Mauricio Zalazar; Raimundo Rebolledo, Juan Leiva, Manuel Rivera, Jovany Campusano; Bayron Oyarzo; Patricio Rubio and Axel Valdés.
Ñublense is in the middle of the table with 11 points, resulting from three victories, two draws, and four losses. When reviewing the opponents that Racing will face in Group A of the Libertadores, Jaime García's team appears to be the most accessible. This Chilean team will participate in this tournament for the first time in its history, thanks to the good tournament they had in 2022.
How Ñublense, Racing's opponent, made it into the Libertadores
The Chilean team qualified for the group stage by finishing among the top three in their previous championship: they finished second, 11 points behind Colo Colo, the title winner. Although they don't have great individualities, their ambitious approach is reflected in being the third highest-scoring team in the competition, with 46 goals. As a home team, they only lost in two out of their 15 matches. This makes them a respected opponent in the Libertadores.
Jaime García, the team's coach since 2019, usually uses the 4-4-2 tactical system, even though on Friday he used a 3-4-1-2 formation. And among their ranks, there are two Argentinians: Lucas Abascia and Nicolás Zalazar, both center-backs. In their country, the former played for Tiro Federal, Sportivo Las Parejas, and Deportivo Morón. Zalazar, on the other hand, played for San Lorenzo, Atlético de Rafaela, All Boys, and Platense.
Some numbers from the Chilean team
The Rojo, as Ñublense is called, has several players who have played for Universidad de Chile and Colo Colo. One of them is Patricio Rubio, a 33-year-old forward with a past in Los Azules. Rubio has played 38 matches for Ñublense, scoring 12 goals and providing five assists. The team's top scorer has also played in the Liga MX in Mexico and the Ligue 1 in Peru.
Ñublense is from the city of Chillán and plays their home matches at the Nelson Oyarzún stadium, where they will make their debut in the Libertadores against Racing. However, due to a possible violation of the rules established by Conmebol, the Chilean team may start playing their home matches at the Ester Roa stadium in Concepción. They have recently played their last matches there in their domestic tournament. The Oyarzún stadium did not pass the evaluation due to a high percentage of humidity on the field, causing the grass not to grow.