Preview: Always Ready vs. Deportivo Tachira - prediction, team news, lineups

Venezuelan outfit Deportivo Tachira travel to Bolivia on Thursday to face Always Ready in the third gameweek of the Copa Libertadores.

Group B is all square after the first two rounds of matches with all four teams tied on three points, but Deportivo Tachira currently sit bottom on goal difference, having conceded six goals so far.

Match preview

Always Ready are five games into their Primera Division season, which started on March 12, and Sebastian Nunez's side currently sit eighth in the 16-club league.

Their last game came in the Copa Libertadores against Paraguayan side Olimpia, when Always Ready fell to a 2-1 defeat after Richard Ortiz scored the hosts' second goal of the game 10 minutes from time.

Nunez's side were due to play league leaders The Strongest on Saturday but the game was postponed, meaning that Always Ready have a game in hand on the majority of their rivals in the Primera Division.

To qualify for the Copa Libertadores next season, Bolivian teams must finish in the top two for automatic places in the tournament and third and fourth placed teams go into a qualification round, meaning that Always Ready have some ground to catch up on in their remaining league games.

Deportivo Tachira have made a better start to their domestic campaign which started a month later than Always Ready's season, and are currently second in their group in the Venezuelan Primera Division.

Last time out, Juan Domingo's side put three past Portuguesa, their goals coming within five minutes either side of half time and scored by Michael Covea, Yerson Chacon and Lucas Emanuel Gomez.

However prior to that game, Deportivo Tachira conceded nine goals in two games against Zulia in the league and Internacional in the Copa Libertadores, and so will need to tighten up defensively to climb up Group B.

Gomez is Deportivo Tachira's early leading goalscorer this season with two goals in as many matches for the 33-year-old, who returned to the club this season after a one-year spell with Bolivian side Santa Cruz.

There are no recent head-to-head games between the two sides, with either team being able to go top of the group by claiming three points on Thursday.

Team News

There are no new injury or suspension concerns for Nunez, who prefers a 3-5-2 formation and is expected to name a similar lineup to the side who lost to Olimpia.

Goalkeeper Carlos Lampe will be looking to add to his three clean sheets so far this season, and at the other end of the pitch forward players Carmelo Algaranaz and Marcos Ovejero could be Always Ready's source of goals.

Deportivo Tachira seemed to be stronger defensively last time out against Portuguesa when the same back four were trusted to turn around their poor form that they showed in the Copa Libertadores gameweek two against Internacional.

Domingo has named the same starting 11 for the previous two games in this competition and is expected to do so again for Thursday's clash with Always Ready.

Always Ready possible starting lineup:
Lampe; Flores, Cabrera, Cummings; Vander, Enoumba, Arce, Machado, Ramallo; Sanguinetti, Ovejero

Deportivo Tachira possible starting lineup:
Varela; Granados, Trejo, Vivas, Camacho; Gondola, Cova, Flores, Hernandez; Greco, Gomez

We say: Always Ready 1-1 Deportivo Tachira

The visitors will be keen to improve on their last result in the Copa Libertadores when they conceded four goals and their hosts are also in need of avoiding defeat after they also lost in gameweek two.

With all teams in Group B level on points so far, no side will want to get left behind and so we predict this clash between second and fourth place to be a tight encounter and nothing will split the two sides.