A triumph is what 9 de Octubre needs to return to the Serie B of Ecuadorian soccer. The people of Guayaquil host Esmeraldas Football Club, already out of combat in the final promotion quadrangular, in the penultimate round.

The players led by Segundo Montaño hope that the fans will come to the Alejandro Ponce Noboa stadium (south of the city) to push them towards the long-awaited promotion.

The October board has arranged free entry for the match, which will take place at 15:30. Meanwhile, the other two teams, Chacaritas and Otavalo, will face each other at 16:00 at the Ciudad de Pelileo.

9 de Octubre is first in the standings with 10 points, followed by the Pelileo team with 7. Otavalo has 5 and Esmeraldas only has one point.

The people of Guayaquil could even be promoted if they lose, as long as the Pelileo team defeats Otavalo.

Coach Montaño stated that his team does not rely on the fact that the Esmeraldas team no longer has any chances and that they are last in the table.

"Those opponents who are last, are the most difficult to face. They have nothing to lose and surely they will want to spoil our game. We are not confident, we have to go out and win," Montaño said yesterday in an interview with this newspaper.

"We are calm and the whole team is fine. We know what we are playing for and we all want to achieve promotion. We have worked well in these days," added the coach, who insisted on his optimism in achieving a victory. (D)