Presentation of the Sports University team
The fans of Universitario de Deportes are eager to witness the presentation of the 2024 version squad at the Monumental de Ate stadium. The current Peruvian soccer champion will hold this long-awaited event on Saturday, January 20. Additionally, as part of this celebration, an exciting friendly match will be held against Coquimbo Unidos from Chile starting at 8:30 p.m. in Peru.
Confirmed lineups
The confirmed lineups for this match are the following:
University:
Sebastian Britos; Aldo Corzo, Matías Di Benedetto, Williams Riveros, Nelson Cabanillas, Andy Polo, Rodrigo Ureña, Martín Pérez Guedes and Horacio Calcaterra; Alex Valera and Edison Flores.
Coquimbo Kingdom:
Diego Sánchez; Dylan Escobar, Elvis Hernández, Salvador Sánchez, Juan Cornejo; Dylan Glaby, Alejandro Camargo, Sebastián Galani, Luciano Cabral; Benjamín Chandía, Nicolás Johansen.
Previous information
The team led by Argentine coach Fabián Bustos has added up to six reinforcements for the new season. Their main objective is to achieve the two-time League 1 championship and make an outstanding performance in the 2024 Copa Libertadores. Among the confirmed signings are the Uruguayan goalkeeper Sebastián Britos, the Ecuadorian left back Segundo Portocarrero, the midfielders Christofer Gonzales and Jairo Concha, and the forwards Christopher Olivares and the Argentine Diego Dorregaray.
This international match will be the last test of the preseason for Universitario de Deportes. So far, they have drawn against Universidad César Vallejo and Atlético Nacional. For this rehearsal prior to the league debut against Carlos Mannucci, the coaching staff is expected to have almost the entire squad, with the exception of Christofer Gonzales and Segundo Portocarrero Rodríguez, who have not trained with the rest of the team.
The challenge for Coquimbo Kingdom
Coquimbo Unidos, the visiting team on this ‘Noche Crema’, arrives in Lima to play its first match of the year. Although they have started their preseason more than a week ago, they have not yet held soccer practices. This places the team led by Fernando Díaz at a disadvantage compared to the hosts, who already have 180 minutes of filming under their belts.
In the last Chilean League, Coquimbo Unidos had an outstanding participation by finishing in fifth position with 47 points, surpassing institutions such as Universidad Católica and Universidad de Chile. This performance allowed them to secure a place in the next edition of the Copa Sudamericana 2024. However, before entering the group stage, they will have to overcome the ‘crusaders’ in the preliminary phase of the Conmebol tournament.
In addition to the arrival of former Boca Juniors forward Andrés Chávez, Coquimbo Unidos has added other names such as Diego Plaza, Nicolás Johansen, Jorge Henríquez, Francisco Salinas, Alejandro Azócar, Elvis Hernández and Alejandro Camargo. However, they have lost their top scorer Rodrigo Holgado, who has joined América de Cali in Colombia.
Where to watch the game
The international friendly between Universitario and Coquimbo Kingdom will be broadcast on the GOLPERU channel. This channel has a contract with Universitario de Deportes to broadcast its home matches in League 1 until the end of 2025. GOLPERU is exclusive to Movistar TV, so it is necessary to be subscribed to this media to be able to watch the sporting event. The channels where the match can be viewed are 14 (standard) and 714 (high definition).
The ‘Cream Night’ and the University’s desire
Universitario de Deportes has an outstanding debt in the ‘Noche Crema’, since in the last three editions it has not managed to obtain a victory in front of its fans. In 2022 and 2023, they faced Aucas of Ecuador, losing 3-2 on the first occasion and drawing 0-0 on the second. In 2021, the friendly could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, they suffered a defeat again, this time against Cerro Largo by 1-0.
The last time that Universitario de Deportes managed to win this sporting event was in 2019. On that occasion, they faced Universidad de Concepción from Chile and won 1-0 with a goal from midfielder Pablo Lavandeira, who currently plays for Melgar.
