Thursday, December 18

A bit about Sunday's opponents


So United are in for a Sunday showdown with Ecuadorian outfit LC Quito in the World Club Cup final.

Here's a bit of a profile about them.

Q. Are they any good?
A. To give them their full title, Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quitoare quite decent.

They are officially the best team in South America and progressed to the final with ease in Wednesday’s match against Pachuca.

Q. Do they have much history?
A. Quite a bit, actually. They were founded in 1930 as a general sports team and won their first championship in a regional league just two years later.
Since then, they’ve notched up nine national league titles and are pretty popular in their home country.

Q. How did they get this far?
A. Having won their domestic league in 2007, Quito earned a place in the 2008 Copa de Libertadores – the South American version of the Champions League.
They finished second in the group stages, then beat two pretty good Argentinean teams to reach the semi final which they won on away goals before winning the final on penalties.

Q. What's their league form like?
A. Pretty good. After winning the title in 2007, they finished runners up this season, four points behind champions Sociedad Deportivo Quito.
Though it must be said, the Equadorian League is a lot more complex than the English Premier League as it includes three group stages.
Q. Who will be their dangerman?

A. Claudio Bieler (pictured right), a 24-year-old Argentinian striker who has hit the back of the net 13 times in 26 appearances for LC Quito this season. He would been his club’s hero in the Copa de Libertadores final had an extra time winner not been wrongly ruled out.

Q. How much chance have they of beating United?
A. A fair bit. They’ll threaten United a lot more than Gamba and keep things a lot tighter at the back.
They won’t be as intimidated on the big stage as much as Gamba, as they themselves play in front of 55,000 crowds at home games. United are 1.46 to win with Betfair, Quito are 6.6 (11/2) and it's 4.4 (7/2) for the draw, all with Betfair.

These are the World Club Cup semi final highlights.






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