Audax Italiano vs Nublense Prediction: А very even Chilean duel

In the second leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, Audax Italiano welcomes Nublense. The match is scheduled for Friday at 01:00 at the Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida. The first match ended in a boring 0:0 draw. The winner of this match will play against LDU Quito in the next stage. For both teams this competition is priority this season, so we can expect an tight encounter.

Form: LDLLD

In the last round of the Chilean Primera Division, Audax Italiano lost away to Copiapo with a score of 1:0. The home team took the lead in the 31st minute, and at the beginning of the second half, they were down a player. Despite the numerical advantage on the field, the visiting team was unable to equalize the result in this match. They currently occupy only 12th position in the table with 19 points, three more than their previous opponents Copiapo, who are in the relegation zone. In their last five games in all competitions, they have not recorded any wins, with two draws and three defeats. Audax will count on Gonzalo Sosa, scorer of four goals in eight Copa Sudamericana games this season, to lead their attack in Concepcion. The Argentinian forward will be mainly supported by compatriot Gonzalo Rios, who scored a hat-trick in Los Italica's 5-2 win over Nublense in April.

Form: DDLLD

In the previous round of the strongest Chilean competition, Nublense played away a draw with Magallanes with a score of 1:1. The home team missed a penalty kick in the 26th minute, and at the end of the first half, Juan Guillermo Cordova Torres made a great play past Ismael Sosa, who put the ball into the net. However, at the very end of the match, the home team still managed to equalize, which was the final result. They currently occupy only the 14th position in the table with 19 points won, the same number as their next opponent, Audax Italiano.  In the last five competitive games, they registered three draws and two defeats. It remains to be seen which formation Nublense will play in this match, as manager Jaime Garcia switched to a 3-5-2 formation at the weekend, after using four defenders in the first leg last week. Goalkeeper Nicola Perez could therefore start behind the defensive trio of Rafael Caroca, Enzo Guerrero, and Lucas Abascia. Meanwhile, top scorer Patricio Rubio and midfielder Jorge Henriquez are hoping to return after being left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons. In the absence of the former, Ismael Sosa, who scored the opening goal against Magallanes, would start in attack.

Considering the previous match, which was less interesting, we believe that a similar match will be played at the Audax Italiano stadium. The visitors will probably play more defensively and aim for a draw. Therefore, we predict a tight close match, who will probably end with a draw in the regular time and under 2.5 goals will be scored.