A Day to Worship: Three Derbies That You Shouldn't Miss This Sunday
- Cody
- Apr 15, 2018
- 4 min read
Universidad de Chile vs. Colo Colo
As politically-charged a rivalry as anywhere in the world, Santiago’s La U and Colo-Colo play-out one of the nastiest derbies in South America. The Chilean football scene, and indeed Chilean society on the whole, divides itself along economic and social-class lines like few other parts of the world. Basically, the large working-class support the popular Colo-Colo, the middle-class go for Universidad de Chile, and the well-off are represented by Universidad Católica. The big three. As always, there are exceptions to the rule and, in the end, people support who they want.
Colo-Colo takes its name from a native Mapuche chief who helped fight alongside the rebels in the war of Chilean independence. Mapuche pride remains a divisive issue in Chilean society, where some embrace this heritage, while others choose to distance themselves from any potential Mapuche connections. As a generalization, Colo-Colo therefore tends to represent those who are proud of their Mapuche roots, although Universidad de Chile's main ultras, Los de Abajo, have also displayed their support for the Mapuche's struggle. The club does, however, hold a dubious connection to former dictator Pinochet, who is said to have funded the club’s Estadio Monumental and viewed the club as an opportunity to gain more influence over the lower-class. Nicknamed the Eternal Champion and certainly the most popular team in Chile, Colo-Colo know about winning, with a record 32 league titles compared to Universidad de Chile’s 18.
La U, in turn, represent the middle-class and are more associated with the political left. Pinochet commandeered their stadium, the Estadio Nacional, and used it as a place to round up and torture his opponents, leaving the club at odds with the dictatorship. As you’d imagine, the club was formed by a group of students at the Universidad de Chile and, though now a private club, continues to be associated with the university and the educated class. The Owls have started the young season in blistering fashion and sit atop the table after eight matches played. Colo-Colo, uncharacteristically, find themselves in sixth, eight points behind their rivals. Besides closing the points gap, a win against La U in the Estadio Nacional would send a message that the championship is far from decided.
Where: Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile
When: Sunday, 15th, 12:00 local time / 11:00 EST
Watch: CDF Premium, reddit/r/soccerstreams
SL Benfica vs FC Porto
The North against the South. Two of the big three of Portuguese football. As usual, a match that will have a decisive impact on who wins the league. FC Porto are looking to win their first domestic title since 2013, an unusually barren spell for the ever-successful Dragons. Meanwhile, Benfica have been finding ways to either cruise or scrap their way to the last four league titles, all while losing their best players year after year.
Porto has traditionally been a working-class city, proud of its Northern identity while always seeing their Southern, Lisbon-based rivals as receiving preferential treatment from the powers that be. That didn’t stop them, however, from dominating the league from the 80’s through the early 2000’s, while also collecting a couple of improbable Champions League trophies along the way. The club has been revitalized under former player Sérgio Conceição. The fiery Portuguese took over last summer after impressing with Nantes and has kept the Dragões at the top of the table for most of the season. Yet, Porto has slipped up in recent weeks, failing to assert themselves as league leaders and allowing Benfica to leapfrog them just two weeks ago on matchday 27.
Benfica, somehow and perhaps to be expected, sit in first place after a less-than-stellar start to the season. Credit to the Eagles, Benfica’s winning mentality has enabled them to stay within touching distance of Porto throughout the season, even without playing spectacular football. Their manager Rui Vitoria was forced to change the team’s tactics for the first time in his tenure and has deployed a 4-3-3 for the better part of the campaign. What’s more, Benfica have just a single point advantage over Porto. A charged and packed Estadio da Luz remains one of the best grounds in football, and the capital giants will be hoping to put one hand on the league title this Sunday.
Where: Estadio da Luz, Lisboa, Portugal
When: Sunday, 15th, 18:00 local time / 13:00 EST
Watch: ESPN Sur, BTV Online, reddit/r/soccerstreams
Independiente vs. Boca Juniors
The final derby selection takes us to the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires with two of the national “big five.” All five clubs are based in the greater Buenos Aires region, making for plenty of typically intense Argentine derbies throughout the season. The Superclasico, contested between the two giants Boca Juniors and River Plate, stands as the most famous of the derbies, but match-ups between the others can be just as passionate. In this case, Independiente’s primary rivals are fellow Avellaneda-based Racing Club. However, any Buenos Aires derby promises to be a spectacle in the stands, if not always on the field.
Boca are found in the heart of La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires, an area close to the docks and brimming with color and music. In the middle of the barrio sits La Bombonera, the towering, iconic home of the Xeneizes. Boca Juniors are the runaway leaders of this year’s Argentine Superliga, sitting on a seven point lead at the top of the table even after a home loss to Defense y Justicia last week. Boca have dominated the league while playing effective yet somewhat pragmatic football. Boca seems destined to another league title, but disharmony has grown after their recent Supercopa defeat to main rivals River Plate, who have had a sub-par campaign by their high standards.
Independiente represents the working-class port suburb of Avellaneda. There stadium, Estadio Libertadores, is a stone's throw away from that of their main rivals Racing. They are popularly known as the Rey de Copas, winning the Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League) a record seven times, all while never losing a final. The club has risen to sixth in the table and are just two points from the Libertadores places. A win over Boca would go a long way to helping their cause, especially with only five matches left in the season. The Avellaneda boys would surely love the opportunity to add to their illustrious trophy cabinet next season. So grab your yerba mate or a glass of Malbec because a Buenos Aires derby never disappoints.
Where: Estadio Libertadores de América, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina
When: Sunday, 15th, 20:00 local time / 19:00 EST
Watch: FoxSports 2, reddit/r/soccerstreams
Comments