The Crusaders confront a fresh test during the National Championship break as they prepare to clash with Deportes Colina for the Copa Chile crown.
Catholic University remains active during the FIFA international window. Under the guidance of Ariel Holan, the squad will add another friendly to its schedule and make the most of the 2023 National Championship pause.
This Friday, the Crusaders will travel to Becker Stadium in Temuco to face Deportes Temuco in a showdown aimed at recapturing competitive rhythm ahead of the Chile Cup opener and the upcoming edition of the Modern Classic against Colo Colo when the league returns.
Coming into this match, the team from the central region has just secured a 0-2 victory over Deportes La Serena, thanks to goals from Franco Di Santo and Gonzalo Tapia. That win followed a narrow setback against Magallanes in the ninth round, a result that still kept the team atop the table with an 18-point tally.
Meanwhile, Araucanía’s side has rattled off three straight wins in the promotion championship, most recently a 3-2 triumph over Barnechea. The team led by coach Pije sat in third on 14 points, two behind the pace-setters La Serena.
The most recent encounter between the clubs was in December 2018, a 1-2 victory for the precordilleranos with goals from Jaime Carreño and Andrés Vilches. The solo reply came from Miguel Aceval, and the injury cloud around Matías Dituro forced his absence; Nicolas Peranic has been selected to wear the gloves in goal since then.
No live television broadcast has been arranged for this friendly, but fans can keep up with the action on the Cruzados YouTube channel, mirroring how the team covered the recent clash with the grenades (Goal).