Hernán Crespo previews Defensa y Justicia vs Olimpia
In a press conference this Tuesday, Hernán Crespo, the coach of Argentina's Defensa y Justicia, talked about the upcoming match against Olimpia on Wednesday at 18:15 hours for the fourth round of Group G in the Copa Libertadores of America, to be held at the Norberto Tomaghello stadium in Florencio Varela.
Crespo stated that it will be a very difficult match and praised Daniel Garnero's team. "Regarding Olimpia, I'm concerned about their capabilities, naturally. Olimpia has the history it has for a reason, and they have players of great caliber," said the coach.
He added, "They have players who have won championships with the same coach, whom I know very well. It is a team that if you lose the ball poorly, they will hurt you a lot. They have players of a level that can cause damage."
Crespo said two weeks ago that it would be "a miracle" if his team, which suffered about a dozen departures during the transfer window, could qualify for the round of 16.
However, the 3-0 victory last Thursday against Ecuador's Delfín (the first victory of this club in the history of the Libertadores) left his team two points behind Olimpia, who came from a goalless draw in Brazil.
Defensa y Justicia suffered the departure of many key players during the transfer window, but the new signings rose to the challenge.
Debutants Braian Romero and Gabriel Hachen, along with forward Nicolás Leguizamón, scored the goals in the historic victory.
Forward Francisco Pizzini, who suffered a muscular rupture in his right hamstring, will not be able to play against Olimpia.
In his place, Hachen would play, as he replaced him in the previous match and was the author of the second goal.