SANTIAGO – La U. (Universidad de Chile) hosts Colo-Colo in this weekend’s big-match clash. Anything but a win for the home team would be a disaster as they find themselves in a real battle to avoid relegation. Approaching the half-way mark of the season and sitting bottom of the table with only 8 points, U. Chile’s season seriously needs a kick-start. It may be that El Superclásico, “the classic,” is just what Alfredo Arias’s men need to find a rhythm in what has so far been a very disappointing campaign.
In contrast, Colo-Colo is looking to stop its other main rival, U. Católica, from retaining the league title but currently sit 4 points behind the Crusaders in 2nd place. Mario Salas’s team desperately needs to improve on last season which saw it fail to qualify for the Copa Libertadores with a 6th place finish.
This was seen as something of a disappointment for what was by far Chile’s most successful team. Colo-Colo has more Primera division titles than any other team (32) and is the only Chilean team to have won the Copa Libertadores, in 1991.
A Packed Estadio Nacional
It’s likely that Estadio Nacional will be packed as almost 50,000 fans head to Ñuñoa to watch these two giants of Chilean football in a match that holds equal gravitas in Chile to the world’s other classic rivalry matches, such as Boco Juniors vs River Plate, Barcelona vs Real Madrid, and Man Utd vs Liverpool.
This is a match between Chile’s two biggest teams and hence biggest rivals, especially as both teams reside in Santiago, adding a local derby spice to the fixture. Historically, the derby is not especially well-balanced with Colo-Colo having had the better of its rivals winning 79 matches compared to only 48 for U. Chile. For those wanting to experience the atmosphere of one Chile’s fiercest rivalries tickets are still available to purchase online.
Farewell To Palestino and Universidad Católica In The Copa Libertadores
The rest of the Primera División football program this weekend:
Friday, May 17
- Palestino vs. Cobresal – 3:30 p.m. – Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna
- Unión La Calera vs. Unión Española – 6:00 p.m. – Estadio “Nicolás Chahuán”
- Universidad Católica vs. Deportes Antofagasta – 8:30 p.m. – Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo
Saturday, May 18
- Universidad de Chile vs. Colo-Colo – 12:00 p.m. – Estadio Nacional
- O’Higgins vs. Everton – 6:30 p.m. – Estadio El Teniente
Sunday, May 19
- Huachipato vs. Universidad de Concepción – 12:30 p.m. – Estadio CAP Acero
- Coquimbo Unido vs. Deportes Iquique – 3:00 p.m. – Estadio “Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso”
- Audax Italiano vs. Curicó Unido – 5:30 p.m. – Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today.