Junior crosses fingers and makes calls to count on his scorer. The date for the first game of the League semifinal series against Millonarios has already been set, for this Thursday, starting at 4 pm, at the Roberto Meléndez Metropolitan Stadium, the ‘Sharks’ aspire to Miguel Borja to be loaned by the national team Colombia for that crucial game, three days before the start of the Copa América Brazil-2021.
Will it be possible? Everything is in we will see. The rojiblancos have the intention that Reinaldo Rueda, coach of the national team, understand the situation and facilitate their loan.
The steps are being taken so that Borja can at least play the initial clash in the ‘Metro’. That would be the last game of the Cordovan striker with the red and white shirt if the Caribbean club definitely does not make use of the purchase option that he signed with Palmeiras from Brazil.
The attacker’s loan ends on June 30 and until that date the Junior has to define if he acquires the federative and economic rights of the player.
In case the answer is negative from Rueda and the Colombian Football Federation (FCF), Luis Amaranto Perea, shark helmsman, will have to play it with Teófilo Gutiérrez as the only point, if he is already fully recovered from his Achilles tendon ailments (there is still no official information on the progress of his rehabilitation) or with Carmelo Valencia, the only striker, apart from Borja, that he has been using.
Luis ‘el Chino’ Sandoval, who has given more to talk about because of what he does off the field, has not been considered even on the substitute bench in the last half.
The other option that Perea has is the youthful Salomón Alcalá, who has not received minutes in the League or in the Copa Libertadores. He was only emerging recently in the match that Junior beat Fluminense 2-1, at the Maracana stadium, in Rio de Janeiro.
The safest thing is that Carmelo will play if Borja is not finally yielded.
The defense.
The good news for the rojiblanca squad is the full recovery of Germán Mera, who suffered a sprained left ankle in the 1-1 draw against Santa Fe, on the first day of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, on the 22nd. of April.
Mera missed the last seven games and the team didn’t miss him so much because Willer Ditta and Dany Rosero played a good role overall, beyond any oversights in any of those games.
Theophilus has the same period of Mera without action. We will have to wait to see if Perea gives continuity to the two defenders who have been acting or if he inserts the Valle del Cauca, who before the injury was the leader of the defense.
The casualties.
The one who is ruled out for this commitment and the remainder of the semester is Jhon Pajoy. The left-hander from Cali is incapacitated by a sprain in his right knee with capsular and ligament strain (ACL). Junior has not officially reported whether the results of the imaging studies showed an even more serious injury.
‘Cariaco’ suffered a traumatic contusion in the fifth metatarsal (periostitis) of his right foot, during the match that Junior and River Plate equaled 1-1 at the Romelio Martínez stadium, on May 12.
The ‘Sharks’ medical team has also not reported anything about the evolution of the player’s injury. Unofficially it was learned that he is trying to recover to see if he can participate in both or in the second of the series games against Millionaires.
Probable starter.
Thus the things, the titular formation of Junior before Millonarios would be the following: Sebastián Viera; Fabián Viáfara (or Marlon Piedrahíta), Willer Ditta, Dany Rosero (or Germán Mera), Gabriel Fuentes; Larry Vasquez, Didier Moreno; Fabián Sambueza (or Daniel Moreno), Edwuin Cetré, Fredy Hinestroza; Carmelo Valencia (or Miguel Borja).
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