MIAMI, Florida – Nicaraguan side Real Esteli will be seeking a big boost from their home fans when they welcome in three-time Concacaf champions Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica for the first leg of their 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday night at the Estadio Independencia in Esteli, Nicaragua.

This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two clubs. They first squared off in the 1991 Concacaf Champions Cup when Saprissa pocketed a pair of 4-1 wins.

They then faced each other in the group stage of the 2014-15 edition when they played to a 1-1 draw in Nicaragua, followed by a 3-0 Saprissa win in Costa Rica.

Real Esteli made history by winning their first three matches of Group B to become the first team to qualify for the knockout round. Two of those three wins, against Xelaju of Guatemala and Honduran giants Olimpia, were 1-0 victories at home, so the Pinoleros will be targeting a similar result on Wednesday.

Real Esteli finished the group with three wins and just one defeat, good for second place, thanks to players like Harold Medina and Arley Bonilla. Medina scored the winning goal against Olimpia and had another shot hit the post in that game. Bonilla had the winning score against Xelaju and led the team in shots in the group stage with 12.

Veteran attacker Juan Barrera has unsurprisingly played a big part in their success, too, as he scored both goals in the 2-0 win at FAS of El Salvador.

No strangers to big-time Concacaf affairs, Saprissa bring a ton of winning pedigree to this quarterfinal series after capturing first place in Group A with 10 points.

FW Javon East has been superb with three goals from eight shots, while Jefferson Brenes has chipped in with a goal and an assist. The Brenes goal came in style, too, via an ‘olimpico’ from the corner flag.

Veterans MF David Guzman and GK Esteban Alvarado will be relied upon as well. Guzman has an assist, six ball recoveries and 156 passes to lead the team, while Alvarado did not allow a single goal and made 18 saves over the course of the four group stage games.

REFEREES REAL ESTELI vs DEPORTIVO SAPRISSA

REF:         JULIO LUNA (Guatemala)

AR1:         JORGE ORDONEZ (Guatemala)

AR2:         CRISTIAN ALVARADO (Guatemala)

4TH:         WALTER LOPEZ (Guatemala)