Sportivo Ameliano v Libertad

Both sides begin the Clausura under pressure but in very different situations, Sportivo Ameliano finished 2^nd from last in the Apertura but are rock bottom the promedio (relegation) standings which takes into account average points over three years. Libertad meanwhile are defending champions and have lost just once in 27 league games – but such is their domestic dominance they are judged more on international showings. Elimination in the first knockout round of the Copa Libertadores has left a bitter taste, and the fans expect another league title as a tonic.

The match will be played at the Defensores del Chaco, the national stadium with Ameliano’s tiny home ground once again not up to Primera standards. The wide pitch will more likely suit their rivals with speedsters such as Tito Villalba, Antonio Bareiro and Lorenzo Melgarejo all vying for starting places behind the timeless Roque Santa Cruz who will be exactly one month from his 41^st birthday come matchday. The Gumarelo have also acquired experience in defence, 35-year-old central defender Pablo Aguilar returns to Paraguay after a successful decade in Mexico winning league titles at three different clubs including the 2021 trophy with Cruz Azul.

Ameliano have stuck with coach Humberto Garcia and so far have made just two modest signings in defenders Abel Paredes and Ángel Arce, both from the lower division (Intermedia). The hope is surely to tighten up at the back having conceded 39 goals at an average of 1.78 per game during the Apertura. Only 12 de Octubre (40 goals) had a leakier backline. One of their brightest young sparks higher up the pitch, Gustavo Caballero, has been transferred to Nacional so there is a reliance on goals from veteran Pablo Zeballos.

In contrast Libertad were racking up 2.23 goals per game in the first half of the year, and although topscorer Julio Enciso has moved onto Brighton in the Premier League they actually went slightly higher (2.25) in the final eight matches of the season that the teenage sensation missed through injury.

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Olimpia vs Guaraní

The clásico añejo was the last game of the Apertura and now the sides face each other again in the Clausura opener. That match finished 2-0 to Olimpia despite playing a relatively understrength side having rested players for the Copa Sudamericana.

Although El Decano have been knocked out of that competition, they have a tough start to the season with a trip to Libertad coming less than a week after this fixture. Julio César Cáceres will want to use his squad wisely, he has lost winger Néstor Camacho who returns to Guaraní after five hugely successful years at the club. But they have regained Brian Montenegro and Hugo Fernández from loans, both will immediately strengthen the side in attack and midfield.

Fernando Jubero has been relying heavily on the goals of Fernando Fernández while trying to blood youngsters, but some of that pressure will be relieved by bringing back the aforementioned Camacho into the fold. In the midfield they have brought in some steel from Sol with the incorporation of Diego Váldez but also plenty of flair with Luis Fariña, recently described by Rodrigo de Paul as the best player he trained with when breaking through at Racing. It looks like he won’t be able to count on the wantaway Josué Colmán who hasn’t returned on time for training as he tries to force a move out. That suggests Fariña could get a start and would combine with the talented teenager Romeo Benítez who has two goals in three starts.

Olimpia won both games (to nil) in the Apertura and have enough to turn it on in the big games such as this one. They performed better against the Top 2 (Libertad and Cerro) harvesting 4 points compared to Guaraní’s 1. It doesn’t seem that the aurinegro will be able to bridge that gap just yet.

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General Caballero JLM vs Nacional

The season break and opening of the transfer window won’t have affected any club more than General Caballero, who ended the Apertura on a great run with 10 points from a possible 15. Luciano Theiler’s coaching methods were finally getting through to the side who also benefited from the end of the Copa Sudamericana campaign. The opposite could be said of Nacional who must have welcomed a refresh after ending the season on a pitiful run of four games without a win as Facundo Bruera bailed them out consistently with his goals.

The match will be played in Ciudad del Este at the Antonio Aranda stadium, a neutral ground but certainly more of a trip for Nacional than the nominal home side General Caballero. The rojo were finding the net regularly but have lost veteran goal scorer Santiago Salcedo to Sol de América while Junior Marabel is on his way out, probably to Argentina. Without that firepower a lot of pressure will be on former New England Revolution striker Guillermo Hauche who will be available following a 2-game suspension for his red card against Cerro Porteño in Week 20. The Venezuelan attacker Yeiber Murillo has also joined from Guaireña and could line up against his ex-club, having played for Nacional in 2021.

Pedro Sarabia is desperate for some defensive steel, he hasn’t seen his side shut out a rival for exactly three months – a 1-0 win against Guaraní on 16^th April. The former River Plate centre back who went to two World Cups obviously knows a thing or two about defending and has bolstered his backline by bringing back Miguel Jacquet (most recently at Sol) and signing former Olimpia defender Jordan Santacruz.

Last season both meetings were won 2-1 by the away side, and on both occasions the Argentinians Bruera and Hauche were on the scoresheet. BTTS landed in 64% of Nacional games in the Apertura and 55% of General Caballero’s contests. That figure rises to 72% and 61% respectively when you exclude games against the Big 2 (Libertad and Cerro Porteño).

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Cerro Porteño v 12 de Octubre

Cerro Porteño finished with the highest points total ever for a runner up in the current league format, yet there seems to be a negative air around the club having lost to Libertad when the title was still in play then being roundly thrashed by Palmeiras 3-0 and 5-0 in the Libertadores.

Right back Alan Benitez has left the club to join Minnesota in the MLS and rumours persist surrounding the departures of central defender Alexis Duarte and left back Alan Rodríguez. Although Braian Samudio didn’t impress against Palmeiras he is likely to get a run in the side given the poor showing from Marcelo Moreno Martins in the Apertura. The Bolivian has only managed 2 goals in 630 minutes of Paraguayan league football. Claudio Aquino is serving the last game of his two-game suspension, given for his failure to leave the field and gestures to the referee and assistant in the heated clash with Libertad in Week 21.

12 de Octubre were comfortably the worst team in the Apertura, bottom of the table with the least wins, joint fewest goals scored and most conceded. A similar start to the Clausura could see them dragged into a relegation fight that they weren’t expecting. Talented youngster Freddy Vera has been recalled to Cerro from his loan, while the experienced Osmar Molinas has joined Resistencia. There was little interest in the four incoming transfers announced on Thursday, although it is worth noting that new signing Elvio Vera did score in a win against El Ciclón while he was playing for Tacuary in the Apertura.

Last season’s runners up have a good record at home in La Nueva Olla which should be enough to see them through on Sunday. In the seven games since the superclásico defeat to Olimpia they have won 6 and drawn 1 while conceding just once in the process. They have averaged 1.71 goals scored on that run and Over 2.5 only landed in 4 of the 11 home games (36%) during the 2022 league campaign.

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