IMPENETRABLE LDU DEFENSE FACES CHALLENGE ON VENEZUELAN SOIL AGAINST DEPORTIVO TÁCHIRA

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May 7, 2025

Deportivo Táchira - LDU Quito

Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristóbal, Venezuela

On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Venezuelan side Deportivo Táchira will face Ecuadorian club LDU Quito in a return match of the Copa Libertadores group stage. The clash between teams that rely on foreign goalscorers promises an interesting confrontation of different statistical trends and historical records.

Venezuelan teams have an excellent home record against Ecuadorian opponents in the Copa Libertadores - keeping clean sheets in eight of their last nine mutual matches (5 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss). The only exception was, paradoxically, the most recent encounter, when Deportivo Táchira lost 1-4 to Emelec in 2022.

Deportivo Táchira have lost just one of their six home games against Ecuadorian teams in the Copa Libertadores (2 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss). This single defeat came precisely in the most recent match - the aforementioned 1-4 loss to Emelec in May 2022. The "Aurinegros," as the Venezuelan team is nicknamed, will want to prove that this was merely an anomaly.

On the other hand, LDU Quito are the only team that are yet to concede a goal in this year's Copa Libertadores group stage (1 win, 2 draws). Furthermore, the "Albos" have scored in only one match of this season's tournament, precisely in the home game against Deportivo Táchira, which they won 2-0.

A notable statistic is that both Deportivo Táchira and LDU Quito are the only teams to have scored all of their goals in the 2025 Copa Libertadores group stage through players born outside their own country. The "Aurinegro's" only goal was scored by Argentine midfielder Juan Requena, while both of the "Albos'" goals were scored by Paraguayan striker Alex Arce.

LDU goalkeeper Gonzalo Valle is the only goalkeeper who has played more than one game in this Copa Libertadores season and is yet to concede a goal. Despite this, he has had to make only 10 saves, which ranks him just 13th in this statistic. This suggests that the Ecuadorian team's defensive system works very effectively even without frequent interventions from their goalkeeper.

In the previous meeting in Quito, the home side LDU outplayed their Venezuelan opponents and won 2-0 thanks to Arce's accurate finishes. LDU now leads Group C with 4 points earned from the first three matches, while Deportivo Táchira sits at the bottom of the table with one point.

Wednesday's battle will thus be crucial for the home team's chances of advancing to the knockout phase of South America's most prestigious club competition. Deportivo Táchira will rely on their strong home record against Ecuadorian opponents, while LDU Quito will try to maintain their excellent defensive streak without conceding a goal.

Photo: source XYZ

We thank OPTA for providing the statistical data.