LDU Quito vs Defensa y Justicia Prediction and Betting Tips

LDU Quito welcome Defensa y Justicia to the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado for the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana semifinal on Wednesday (September 27).

The hosts are coming off a 1-0 victory over Orense at the same venue in the Ecuadorian Liga Pro over the weekend. Jose Angulo's strike just past the hour-mark proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Defensa, meanwhile, fell to a 2-1 defeat at Central Cordoba in the Argentina Copa de la Liga. Luis Rodriguez scored a first-half brace to guide El Ferroviario to victory.

LDU booked their spot in the last four with a shootout win over Sao Paulo in the quarterfinal. A 2-1 home win was followed by a 1-0 defeat in Brazil, with the Ecuadorians qualifying with a 5-4 shootout win. Defensa, meanwhile, progressed with a 3-2 aggregate win over Botafogo, drawing 1-1 in Brazil and winning 2-1 at home.

The winner of this tie face either Corinthians or Fortaleza in the final at the Estadio Domingo Burgueno next month.

LDU Quito vs Defensa y Justicia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

The two sides were paired in Group F of the Sudamericana last season. Quito claimed a 2-1 away win and drew 2-2 at home en route finishing second in the group.
LDU's last four games across competitions have had less than three goals and also saw at least one team fail to score.
Defensa have won just one of their last seven away games in regulation time.
LDU have won five of their last seven home games across competitions, including the last three.

LDU Quito vs Defensa y Justicia Prediction

LDU's home record heading into this game has been impressive in the last few months. The One-time Sudamericana champions will look to get a positive result at home to put themselves in the driving seat in the tie.

Defensa are relative upstarts on the continental stage. However, they're not strangers to crunch games in the continent. They won the tournament in 2020, just six years after playing top-flight football in Argentina for the first time.

Nevertheless, expect LDU to claim a comfortable win and also keep a clean sheet.

Prediction: LDU 2-0 Defensa

LDU Quito vs Defensa y Justicia Betting Tips

Tip 1 - LDU to win

Tip 2 - Both teams to score No

Tip 3 - Under 2.5 goals

About the author

Elvis is a seasoned football journalist and has been with Sportskeeda for more than 6 years. He specializes in writing match previews across several leagues and competitions around the world, and his insightful tips have amassed a total readership in excess of 9.2 million till date. Elvis' meticulous attention to detail and strictly following SK's editorial guidelines have been key to achieving a vast readership. He has also exclusively covered the 2021 Nigerian Universiy Games and has provided research for an upcoming biography for a Nigerian football legend.

Elvis has been a Super Eagles fan since 2004, and them beating defending champions Cameroon in the AFCON that year left a lasting impact on him. He supports Sporting Lagos at club level and loves to watch games live at the Onikan Stadium due to its buzzing atmosphere. His favorite football players are former Nigerian forward, Osaze Odemwingie and former Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez.

If Elvis could change one football rule, it would be to not be booked for celebrating with pitch side fans. He believes that football is a passionate game and celebrations should be encouraged to the fullest. When not analyzing the latest previews, Elvis indulges in activities such as swimming, reading, and karaoke.

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