Brazil Corinthians meet Argentina's Lanus in Copa Americana

Brazilian soccer team Corinthians will meet Argentine rival Lanus on Wednesday at the Morumbi Stadium in their first game in the knockout phase of the Copa Americana.

Analysts say that Corinthians will aim to do better than they have done so far in the Brazilian league, where they are in 16th place in the table, on the edge of the relegation zone.

Corinthians reached the knockout phase by eliminating Brazilian rival Vasco da Gama, while Lanus defeated local rival Velez Sarsfield.

For Corinthians's manager, Emerson Leao, the match is every more tense: in 1997, when he was in charge of Atletic Mineiro, Leao was attacked by Lanus fans, who broke his jaw.

Ahead of the game he told media that he was ready to beat the team on the field, but also ready to fight, if need be.

He added that Corinthians would not tolerate an away win by Lanus. "We have to work hart to prevent that. A 1-0 victory is already a good result for us and the most important thing is to prevent them scoring goals here," he added.

Ramon Cabrero, Lanus's manager, dismissed the possibility of a strongly defensive plan in the match, saying that his main goal is to score in Brazil so that Lanus would have an advantage in the home game.

"I believe it will be an open game," Cabrero said.

Source: Xinhua