I HARDLY covered myself in glory this afternoon and not for the first time find myself dusting down my pride and looking for a shot at redemption in South America.
Hopefully the goal gods will be smiling on this one … if they are we’ll be close enough to tip them a wink as we trudge past them on that well-beaten mountain track to La Paz.
BOLÍVAR VS. BLOOMING (9pm)
There’s something in the air up there and while The Strongest were bizarrely off the pace last season their city neigbours and perennial nemesis Bolivar have started the season where their counterparts left off – poorly!
I don’t know what the phrase is in Bolivia but as we say up north “summats up”.
Bolivar sit a dismal 10th of the 14 teams in Bolivia’s Primera with just 7 points from a possible 18 with a goal difference of minus three. Their form to date is made up of 3 losses, 2 wins and 1 draw and that against some pretty underwhelming competition by their standard.
What is even more shocking as a dyed-in-the-wool follower of Bolivian football (and of possibly most value interest to me) is their La Paz stronghold has sprung a leak. Five of their last 6 home games have seen at least one goal conceded and that is unusual!
H2Hs will show Blooming don’t have a great record up in La Paz but that was against the strength of the standard Bolivar outfit and this is not their usual standard.
For their part Blooming have scored in every one of their opening six league matches apart from the 0-0 draw to Wilstermann and this is as good a chance as they’ll have of getting close to a side that has always held the hoodoo over them in the last five years.
Two selections to consider and although I’m going against common concensus the conditions are right both on and off the field.
Born and bred in Bury but now exiled to Hull: long-suffering Shakers supporter and member of Mr. Fixit's site since 2013. Football mad with a depth and breadth of knowledge including specific focus on South American football, the Icelandic Leagues and English Lower League football.
GambleAware