SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Arabe Unido plans to impose its style of play on host Aguila, when the sides meet Wednesday in a 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League (SCL) quarterfinal, first-leg encounter at the Estadio Cuscatlan.
“[Aguila] is a team that makes itself strong at home, but we always come in with our idea,” said head coach Sergio Guzman in pre-match press conference. “Arabe’s DNA is a lot of ball possession, playing between the lines, being sharp and being a forward-playing team, with players who know how to score goals.”
The Expreso Azul has every reason to feel confident. Not only is it coming off a 5-1 aggregate win in the Round of 16 over Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago, but it owns a stellar 12W-1D-5L record in its last 18 CONCACAF matches.
Forward and SCL joint-top scorer Renan Addles (2 goals) believes that the battle between the Arabe Unido offense and the Aguila defense will be the game’s determining factor.
“We know that Aguila is a tough team. It is one of the big clubs here and it will not be easy, but we have the people and capacity and the work-rate to win,” the 27-year-old stressed. “Our attack will be key. We have shown that we have aggressive players up top.”
Arabe Unido reached the 2016/17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, where it fell to FC Dallas (agg: 2-5).