Deportivo Cali will welcome Melgar to Colombia on Thursday for the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 tie.
The visitors progressed through their group in first place, while their hosts find themselves in South America's secondary competition after dropping out of the Copa Libertadores.
Match preview
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After triumphing in the final of Clausura phase of last season's Categoria Primera A, Deportivo Cali booked themselves a place in the Copa Libertadores group stage, and they began in positive fashion with a 2-0 win over Argentinian giants Boca Juniors.
A defeat and a stalemate with Corinthians, either side of a draw against Always Ready, did harm the Colombian side's hopes of advancing to the knockout stage, but they retook second spot with a win in the reverse fixture in the latter, as Jhon Vasquez hit a brace alongside a Santiago Mosquera goal in a 3-0 thrashing on home turf.
That left them leading Corinthians in the top two on goal difference heading into the final round of fixtures, but, with the Brazilians getting a draw, a narrow defeat to Boca Juniors denied Rafael Dudamel's side a place in the final 16, as they were unable to bounce back and level the game after Alan Varela's 54th-minute opener.
With their domestic campaign also on hold after a disappointing 19th-placed Apertura finish, Los Verdiblancos will aim to reignite their season with a win to move closer to reaching the quarter-finals.
They take on a Meglar side who excelled in the Copa Sudamericana group stage, after battling through a qualifying tie.
A fifth-placed aggregate finish in the 2021 Peruvian top flight saw the visitors just miss out on Copa Libertadores qualifying and instead book a meeting with Ciencano for a place in the Copa Sudamericana group stage, and they advanced with a 2-1 win over two legs.
Their group campaign did not get off to a good start, as they suffered an opening 2-0 defeat to Cuiaba, before rebounding with a double over River Plate and a win over Racing Club to move into the ascendancy.
A 1-0 defeat to the latter saw them fall three points behind them going into the final round of fixtures, with their round-of-16 place in peril as a result, but Nestor Lorenzo's side successfully leapfrogged the Argentinians, who suffered a defeat, with a 2-1 win over Cuiaba thanks to a late brace from Cristian Bordacahar.
Now on the back of an important 1-0 victory against Atletico Grau to remain at the summit of the Peruvian Primera Division Apertura table, El Domino will go in search of a positive result away from home before welcoming Deportivo Cali in the reverse leg.
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Team News
Deportivo Cali should continue to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Benfica loanee Yony Gonzalez likely leading the line.
Kevin Velasco is a key man on the left wing, having scored four goals and provided four assists across league and Copa Libertadores action this season.
Jhon Vasquez will likely operate on the opposite flank, with Yimmi Congo and Edgard Enrique Camargo set to anchor the midfield.
Melgar's attack will be spearheaded by star man Bernardo Cuesta, who took his tally to 11 goals in all competitions for the season in their latest league victory.
He should again be flanked by Luis Iberico and Kevin Quevedo in a similar to shape to that of their hosts.
Deportivo Cali possible starting lineup:
De Amores; Gutierrez, Burdisso, Caldera, Mafla; Congo, Camargo; Vasquez, Teo, Velasco; Gonzalez
Melgar possible starting lineup:
Caceda; Ramos, Deneumostier, Galeano, Reyna; Orzan, Arias; Quevedo, Perez Guedes, Iberico; Cuesta
We say: Deportivo Cali 2-0 Melgar
After dropping out of South America's top competition, Deportivo Cali will be keen to begin the Copa Sudamericana knockout stage on the front foot, and they have the quality to take a lead with home advantage on Thursday.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
