Line by line: Larriera's keys to face Universitario at the Monumental.

• Universitario vs. Alianza Lima: dates when the finals will be played

Solid defense

Throughout the Clausura Tournament, Alianza Lima has maintained statistically the best defense by having received the fewest goals against (6). To achieve this, the work of the starting central defensive pair composed of Carlos Zambrano and Yordi Vílchez has been fundamental, and for the first final, Depor was able to find out that the 'Kaiser' will be available. Therefore, having their defensive line in optimal conditions will be vital considering that Universitario de Deportes is, on the contrary, the team that has scored the most goals in this second part of the tournament (28).

With the first match being played at the Monumental stadium, it is clear that the 'U' tends to be more proactive at home and will seek to cause damage with the attacking duo of Valera-Urruti or Flores-Urruti, for this, the defensive work of the blanquiazul team will be crucial. It is worth noting that the 'U' has been victorious at home all year, except for a defeat against Alianza Lima in the Apertura Tournament and a draw against Deportivo Garcilaso in the Clausura Tournament. On the other hand, from a strategic point of view, while the goal is to win at both home and away, ending the away leg with a clean sheet, even if it is a draw, will be beneficial for Alianza considering that the second leg will be at home.

Exploit Concha's best version

Jairo Concha is the starting creative midfielder of Alianza Lima and often the team relies on his audacity and control of the game between midfield and attack. For the match against Universitario as the away team, he will have to play the player in the position where he feels most comfortable: closer to the opponent's area and filtering passes. This considering that what has mostly been criticized in Alianza Lima's performance is the lack of associative play, clear progressions, and automatisms, factors that depend a lot on the level that the team's '10' can show. Also, according to the opponent, who tends to dominate the wings, being able to generate football and create imbalances through a creative midfielder like Concha can be advantageous.

For the match against the 'U' at the Monumental, the intimate squad needs an inspired Jairo Concha, just as he performed in the memorable 4-1 victory where he scored a brace with accurate shots thanks to his audacity. Considering that for said match it is likely that Alianza Lima tends to be more defensive, the resource of shooting from medium or long distance will be vital and for that, the 24-year-old midfielder's good kicking ability must be utilized.

Goals in other lines

One of the concerns surrounding Alianza Lima is that most of the goals depend on Hernán Barcos and the production tends to be individualized. In fact, of the last twelve goals scored by the intimate team, the 'Pirata' has scored eight and assisted in three, a statistic that highlights his importance in the blanquiazul attack, but also becomes a problem considering that goals do not come from other players. As Mauricio Larriera himself commented in a press conference, it is a problem that has not been resolved yet.

On the other hand, it is worth remembering that Universitario de Deportes is the second team with the fewest goals conceded (eight) after Alianza Lima, and a large part of their good results is due to having a solid defense composed of the usual three center-backs: Matías Di Benedetto, Willism Riveros, and Aldo Corzo, who are well acquainted with each other and will seek to neutralize the 'Pirata' in the first leg of the final at the Monumental stadium. On the other hand, coach Larriera will have to plan other attacking options, either with the wingers (Bryan Reyna, Franco Zanelatto, Gabriel Costa, or Aldair Rodríguez) or even consider the idea of having a double attacking reference with Pablo Sabbag, who is already recovered and played minutes in the last match against Deportivo Garcilaso. There is no doubt that Jorge Fossati will look for ways to neutralize Barcos, the most important player on the intimate team and the one who, in this final stretch, seems to be solely responsible for the goals. for now, the 'Pirata' is the top scorer with 17 goals and 6 assists.

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