Deportivo Cali vs Melgar Match Analysis and Prediction

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Deportivo Cali will welcome Melgar to Colombia on Thursday for the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 tie.

While the hosts find themselves in South America’s secondary competition after dropping out of the Copa Libertadores, the visitors advanced through their group in first place.

After succeeding in the final of Clausura phase of last season’s Categoria Primera A, Deportivo Cali secured a spot in the Copa Libertadores group stage, and they began in positive fashion with a 2-0 win over Boca Juniors.

A defeat and a draw with Corinthians, either side of a stalemate against Always Ready, dealt a blow to their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage, but the Colombian side regained second place 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 at home.

That saw them lead 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 Deportivo Cali a spot in the final 16, as they failed to bounce back and level the game after Alan Varela’s 54th-minute opener.

They now face the challenge of an opposing 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 Meglar just miss out on Copa Libertadores qualifying and instead face Ciencano for a spot in the Copa Sudamericana group stage, and they progressed with a 2-1 win over two legs.

Now off the back of a 1-0 victory over Atletico Grau to remain at the summit of the Peruvian top flight table, Meglar side seek a positive away result before welcoming Deportivo Cali in the reverse leg.

Deportivo Cali vs Meglar head to head

The two teams have not previously met on any occasion. They will be meeting for the first time in a competitive match in the Copa Sudamericana.

Deportivo Cali latest home form

Deportivo Cali have recently been on an upturn in form at home, having been unbeaten in their three most recent matches. They managed to defeat Always Ready 3-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and also conceded five.

Deportivo Cali 1-3 Fortaleza CEIF 21/04/22

Deportivo Cali 0-1 Aguilas Doradas 24/04/22

Deportivo Cali 0-0 Corinthians 05/05/22

Deportivo Cali 1-1 Independiente Santa Fe 08/05/22

Deportivo Cali 3-0 Always Ready 20/05/22

Deportivo Cali latest away form

Deportivo Cali have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their nine most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to Boca Juniors in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded seven.

Always Ready 2-2 Deportivo Cali 29/04/22

Once Caldas 0-1 Deportivo Cali 01/05/22

Fortaleza CEIF 1-1 Deportivo Cali 13/05/22

Patriotas Boyaca 3-0 Deportivo Cali 15/05/22

Boca Juniors 1-0 Deportivo Cali 27/05/22

Melgar latest home form

Melgar have recently been on an impressive run of form at home, having won each of their 13 most recent matches. They managed to defeat Atletico Grau 1-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded just one.

Meglar 1-0 Cienciano 30/04/22

Meglar 3-0 ADT 13/05/22

Meglar 3-1 Cuiaba 27/05/22

Meglar 2-0 Universitario 29/05/22

Meglar 1-0 Atletico Grau 25/06/22

Meglar latest away form

Meglar have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having lost just one of their six most recent matches. They defeated Sport Boys 1-0 in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded two.

River Plate 1-2 Meglar 04/05/22

Deportivo Binacional 0-1 Melgar 09/05/22

Racing Club 1-0 Melgar 19/05/22

Ayacucho 0-1 Melgar 22/05/22

Sport Boys 0-1 Melgar 19/06/22

Deportico Cali news

Benfica loanee Yony Gonzalez is likely to lead the line for Deportivo Cali in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Kevin Velasco is a key man on the left wing.

Jhon Vasquez will likely operate on the opposite flank, with Edgard Enrique Camargo and Yimmi Congo set to operate in the midfield.

Melgar news

Bernardo Cuesta, who took his tally to 11 goals across all competitions for the season in their latest league victory, is the star man for Melgar and will spearhead the attack.

He should again be flanked by Luis Iberico and Kevin Quevedo in a similar formation to that of their hosts.