MIAMI, Florida – Diriangen of Nicaragua will be looking to defend their home turf when they welcome in Honduran side Marathon in the first leg of the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf League Preliminary Round on Tuesday at the Estadio Nacional in Managua.
For Diriangen, it is their first SCL appearance since 2018 when they were eliminated in the Round of 16, so this time around the Pinoleros will be looking to improve and build upon their 2021 Clausura title-winning performance that earned them a place in the tournament.
Diriangen’s domestic campaign in the 2021 Apertura got off to a good start over the weekend, with a 2-1 win against UNAN Managua thanks to goals from Robinson Luiz and Jose Bernardo Laureiro.
They will hope that momentum continues into Tuesday’s affair against a side that is no stranger to the SCL.
For Marathon, the 2021 SCL will be their third straight appearance in the tournament after qualifying as the non-champion with the second-best aggregate record in Honduran football during the 2020-21 season.
Marathon will be able to rely on an array of veteran players who know a thing or two about Concacaf play, including legendary FW Carlo Costly and DF Emilio Izaguirre, along with GK Denovan Torres, who was one of the top shot-stoppers in last season’s SCL.
In the 2020 SCL, the Catracho club qualified for the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League by virtue of winning the Play-In Match against Forge FC of Canada
A good start in Nicaragua would be the perfect way for Marathon to begin their quest of a SCCL return in 2022.