By: Luis Imana
The UNSA Monumental Stadium will experience 90 minutes of intense emotion when Melgar and Sporting Cristal meet in the first leg of the play-off semifinals today (15:00 CET).
The Rimenser come to this duel after the end of the regular season in first place in the overall table and will try to get closer to the final Alliance of Lima in a place where they could win this year.
The last time crystal Visited Melgar in Arequipa it was July 17th and the game ended in a sky-blue victory by the slightest margin thanks to an input from Alejandro Hohberg.
Roberto Mosquera will have to do without being present Jesus Castillo. After the separation from Martín Távara, the 16 took over this position in midfield.
However, Castillo received his third yellow card against Mannucci and will have to wait for the second leg to be useful for the Rimense side.
The ‘Mosca’ has alternatives to fill this gap Jesus PretelHoracio Calcaterra or even Yoshimar Yotunwho recovered from an injury and traveled to the “White City” with the team.
On the other hand, Melgar comes from winning the Apertura tournament and finishing third overall. Despite the fact that the team led by Pablo Lavallén has suffered a downturn in recent weeks, they will have the Arequipa fans’ support to push their home team through.
Like Sporting Cristal, the “Domino” will have significant casualties on defense. Lavallén will not be able to count on Alec Deneumostier and Leonel Galeano. The national team centre-back was sent off in Melgar’s 51st-minute crash against Alianza Atlético, while the Argentine added his third booking and was suspended.
To fill the positions of both defenders, the red-black technical squad would have Matías Lazo and José Luján as their main alternatives.
Sporting Cristal and Melgar have a history of straight elimination matches. The first took place in the 2015 final, where the “Domino” was crowned champions of Peruvian football after a 2-2 draw in the first leg and a 3-2 win in the second leg.
Both clubs met again in the 2016 final, albeit with different outcomes. The first duel, played in Arequipa, ended 1-1, while the second leg at the National Stadium ended 0-0, which, thanks to the guest goal, meant the national championship for the Rimenses.
It is worth remembering that after this game, Cristal and Melgar will play the second leg on Sunday November 6 (3:00 p.m.) at the National Stadium.
Presence of FIFA referees
For the clash between Melgar and Sporting Cristal, CONAR appointed FIFA referee Bruno Pérez as the main referee, while Stephen Atoche and Leonar Soto, both from the FIFA category, will be the assistants. Luis Garay will be the fourth referee, Micke Palomino will be goal judge 1 and Julio Quiroz will be goal judge 2. The latter will be behind the goals.
The payment
60,000 spectators is the capacity of the UNSA memorial.
24% of Melgar’s goals in League 1 2022 came from Bernardo Cuesta.