Internacional v Sao Paulo Copa Libertadores Semi Final 1st Leg

This really has the making of a classic but I fear Sao Paulo will just come and defend for 90mins. We could say Internacional come into this one fresh off a 'fixed' victory on Sunday against Flamengo,that's beside the point.Inter rested a lot of their best players for that match,so I'm not sure about all the conspiracy theories.Inter will be desperate to take a decent advantage to Sao Paulo this weekend and I really like the energy of this team,especially ex Portsmouth player D'Allesandro who leaves his guts on the field. They are an excellent pressing side and will hound Sao Paulo for 90plus minutes. I think like Spain u19 and Braga,they are the standout bet of the week and my heart tells me to lump on but I just have maybe 5% doubt that is making me hesitate as Sao Paulo are the masters of grinding out results. Will be back later to post my pick but in the meantime,here is a better preview of what awaits.


Sao Paulo has disappointed so far in the 2010 Brasileiro, but they still have the talent to challenge for the Copa Libertadores title.  They impressively got here by defeating Cruziero 4-0 on aggregate and shutting out the deadly strike pairing of Thiago and Kleber.  The star of the show for Sao Paulo is box to box midfielder Hernanes, who will be called up to the Brazil side that faces the United States in an upcoming friendly.  Despite constantly being linked to teams abroad, he’s still at Sao Paulo and is likely to remain there for the foreseeable future.  Ageless striker Washington is a big boost to their attack as well.  The 35 year old towering striker has five goals in Copa Libertadores play and has Brasileiro, J. League, and Club World Cup golden boots to his credit.  He’ll be aided in attack by the small and quick Dagoberto.  Dynamic left sided player Richarlyson is usually good for some highlight reel crosses and tackles, but he’s also a card machine and a player with a very hot temper.  If someone tells you a red card was shown in this match, odds are it was shown to Richarlyson.  I don’t want to end on a negative note, though, so I’ll mention that Sao Paulo have an absolute legend in Rodrigo Ceni between the sticks.


Unlike Sao Paulo, Internacional are currently playing solid football in the Brasileiro.  They sit in fourth place having just defeated Flamengo 1-0 on the weekend.  One of their stars, holding midfielder Sandro, has recently been sold to Tottenham Hotspur, but he has been allowed to remain with Internacional through the remainder of their Copa Libertadores campaign.  Him and Hernanes are likely to butt heads on multiple occasions and that battle will be crucial to their match.  For those of you who watch this match on Fox Sports en Espanol and don’t speak Spanish, you may be confused when the attack-minded trio of D’Alessandro, Alecsandro, and Andrezinho pass between each other.  Even if you can’t keep the three straight, they’re all excellent players who are likely to cause problems for Sao Paulo.  The much easier to keep straight Taison is also likely to see some action after scoring the winner against Flamengo mid-week.  I mentioned Sao Paulo’s keeper and Internacional don’t exactly have a chump between the sticks either.  Former Argentina international Roberto Abbondanzieri should have a good duel with his fellow 37 year old across the field.