The former Copa Libertadores winners from Manizales saw themselves in the unusual situation of relegation candidates at the start of this season after some mediocre seasons, but a great start to 2018 has reduced that threat.
In el blanco blanco manager Hubert Bodhert has created a fighting machine that does not know when they’re beaten, coming from behind to win on several occasions, and a team that has a fresh attacking style, impressing many so far. Now they face a more difficult run, coming up against Deportivo Cali, Junior and Millonarios, but they are a team to be taken seriously.
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Despite striker Wilson Morelo being on fire – he’s scored 11 goals in 8 games so far this season, including a poker against Jaguares – Independiente Santa Fe has had a very difficult start to the season. With five Copa Libertadores games already under their belt, their schedule has been a busy one and neither the first team nor the reserves are playing well. The pressure on the manager is mounting with the team sitting in 18th place, but all is not as bad as it seems – the league table is still close together and they are only four points from the top eight.
Millonarios is doing slightly better, but los embajadores are missing their manager Miguel Ángel Russo. The 61-year-old manager has had a surgery to treat a prostate cancer and now a bacteria prevents him from returning to the pitch. The reigning champions are also in the bottom half of the table.
An unusual aspect about this season is the incredible amount of home victories. 63% of the games have ended in a home victory in 2018, compared to 50% last season, while travelling to see your team away from home has so far proved to be a disappointing venture with only 13% of matches going to the visitors, compared to 25% last season.