ALAJUELA – Alajuelense of Costa Rica will be leaning on their stellar home form when they welcome in El Salvador’s Alianza for the second leg of their 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League series on Tuesday night at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela.
In eight SCL matches played as the home side, Alajuelense have a 6W-2D-0L record. In light of last week’s 1-0 first leg win in San Salvador, the Ticos only need a draw to secure their place in the semifinal round and also clinch a spot in the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
Bernald Alfaro’s goal got the job done for Alajuelense in the first leg, and it also gave Costa Rican clubs an advantage in their rivalry with Salvadoran clubs in the SCL, with a record now of 5W-4D-4L.
Alfaro’s goal would have never happened if not for the playmaking of defender Aubrey David, who set up the goal with a nice move and assist. Tuesday’s game will be David’s 22nd in the SCL and is likely to be joined by another SCL stalwart, Johan Venegas, who is the competition’s all-time top scorer with 14 goals in 13 games.
Work will also need to be done at the other end, and that is where GK Miguel Aju comes into play. Aju was excellent in goal in the first leg, making six saves to record the clean sheet.
But if they can find the game’s first goal, Alianza will even up the series and they certainly have the players to pull that off.
The ever-dangerous Rodolfo Zelaya is capable of scoring a goal out of nowhere and has five career SCL goals, including two in the current edition. Narciso Orellana is another one to watch. The midfielder earned Best XI honors last week after completing an incredible 127 passes.
Victor Landazuri is also capable of making the difference and was another player very active in last week’s first leg, with 104 passes and four corner kicks.
Games away from home are always tricky and Alianza have won just one of their last five matches away from the confines of the Estadio Cuscatlan. However, a strong start on Tuesday night could be just the recipe to change things.
Match Officials LDA VS ALI
Referee: Walter Lopez (GUA)
AR1: Humberto Panjoj (GUA) AR2: Juan Tipaz (GUA)
4th Official: Bryan Lopez (GUA)
Game Notes, Stats Alajuelense vs Alianza FC