In search of securing his second participation followed in the Copa Libertadores of America, the Chapecoense receives Wednesday, January 31, the National, of Uruguay. It is the opening of the duel between them in the qualifiers that will determine the last classified for the group stage of the 2018 version of the continental tournament. Scheduled to start at 21:45 (Brasília time), the confrontation will be held at the Arena Condá, in Chapecó.
At this stage, the duels are defined in the round-trip system. The second game was scheduled for Montevideo on February 7. Whoever adds as many points as possible advances. If there is a tie, the goal balance and the goal scored away from home serve as tiebreaking criteria. However, if there is still no definition, there will be a penalty shootout to indicate who will face the winner of Banfield (Argentina) and Independiente del Valle (Ecuador) in the next phase, the last of the pre-Libertadores.

Chapecoense’s recent performance

After a 2017 suffered after the tragedy that killed almost all the cast, technical commission and board, the Chapecoense managed to survive obtaining results much more than could be expected. The 2018 season, which was planned more calmly, began in a devastating way.
The team played four official games for the Campeonato Catarinense and has not yet had its defense leaked. Among the matches were two classics. The most recent was held on Sunday, February 28, in Chapecó, against Joinville. The victory by 1 to 0 left the alviverde in the leadership of the first round of the state next to the Figueirense. He has ten points (two wins and two draws).
The cast is not yet fully formed. Officials are still running after hiring. However, the most attention-grabbing starter made his debut on Sunday. Dismissed by Flamengo, Márcio Araújo managed to play 75 minutes and helped coach Gilson Kleina to implement his tactical scheme that has three midfielder midfielder. It is quite likely that he will be qualified as a starter on Wednesday.
Márcio Araújo has always been much contested in clubs where he did not have great creative ability. However, he has always been considered very tactically useful and for the vast majority of his career he was a starter for helping coaches implement their strategies by acting as a back guard.

The current form of the National
The Uruguayan club is not in the same pace as Chapecoense. The country’s football calendar was officially opened only on Friday, January 26, with the Super Cup of Uruguay. It started with the left foot. He faced his biggest rival, Peñarol, and was beaten 3-1.
Another disappointment for the fans, who were not satisfied with the campaign in the 2017 season. In a Uruguayan Championship with Opening and Closing tournaments, he could not raise the cup. Made a decent campaign. He was runners-up from one and third placed from the other. This, of course, was not enough for the fans.
In the Copa Libertadores of America, it gained space in the group stage, where Chapecoense had like key colleague. In the field, did not score. But it did advance to the last 16 thanks to an administrative error of the leaders of the Chape. The team used defender Luis Octávio irregularly in the win against Lanús, 2-1 in Argentina. The athlete was suspended. Therefore, the result of the game was changed to win the Argentines by 3 to 0, which benefited the Uruguayans. The joy, however, lasted little, with defeats in Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro, the National was eliminated by Botafogo in the next phase.

History of the matches between Chapecoense and Nacional
The teams faced each other for the first time in the 2017 Copa Libertadores season. In the group stage, Nacional thrashed 3-0 in Montevideo. In Chapecó, they were in the tie by 1 to 1.

The more intense pace of competition and the home factor indicate Chapecoense as the best betting option for Wednesday’s match by pre-Libertadores. The price is 1.95 on Bet365. Draw promotes return of 3.40. Successful visitor multiplies the investment by 3.90. Prices valid at 12:18 on the 30/1/2018.