Santa Fe vs. River Plate: 2016 Recopa Sudamericana Leg 1 Preview and More
The first leg of the 2016 Recopa Sudamericana takes place on Friday as Colombian side Santa Fe host Argentinian giant River Plate at El Campin in Bogota, Colombia.
River are the current champions of the Copa Libertadores, and Santa Fe hold the Copa Sudamericana, setting up this South American contest of winners.
Santa Fe are one of Colombia's most successful teams of all time, but River live up to their super-club billing as the Millionaires on the continent.
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The Buenos Aires team won their third Copa Libertadores after beating Mexico's Tigres UANL 3-0 in the final last year, automatically qualifying for the Recopa to face the Cardinals.
The hosts are the form side coming into the prestigious game, winning four of their last five matches, according to Goal. However, the Colombians are not creating enough in front of goal, unable to find the net twice in a game during August.
River's form is inconsistent after being defeated 3-1 in a recent friendly with Sevilla, but they bounced back to beat Rivadavia Venado Tuerto in the Copa Argentina, prevailing 3-0.
River are experiencing a golden period, winning a league title, a Supercup, a Copa Sudamericana and a Copa Libertadores in quick succession after bringing in female assistant coach Sandra Rossi to work alongside manager Marcelo Gallardo.
Rossi works on the mental side of the game with her club's players and River have seen a huge benefit since she began her work at the Argentina giants.
The coach is now viewed as a trailblazer in South American football after entering a male dominated environment.
“Many thought that I was going to last two months, if I was lucky,” Rossi said, as quoted by Juan Arango of the Guardian. "Many thought that I could not take it; that this was not a place for a woman. Little by little, we got to know each other, we let our defences down and we could rebuild a space where we could coexist and where I was well received and didn’t feel uncomfortable."
She continued: "It is not an easy environment, especially because of the egos. Each one wants to take credit for the successes and that weighs more than any gender."
River were in the doldrums for many years, but their innovative approach behind the scenes has produced unlikely results.
The Millionaires will expect to have too much for Santa Fe over two legs, but the Colombian outfit are battle-hardened.
The Red Express will hope to derail their opponents with the initial home advantage in their favour, but River are used to traveling to hostile venues against underdogs and will not be fazed by anything the Bogota side can offer on Friday.
