Always Ready vs Lanus on 6 May
The thin air of El Alto, at a breath-sapping 4,150 metres above sea level, has swallowed many grandiose European dreams. Now it serves as the ultimate weapon for Bolivia’s Always Ready. On 6 May, the Copa Libertadores group stage turns into a physiological battleground as the hosts welcome Argentine giants Lanus to the Estadio Municipal de El Alto. For the visitors, this is a brutal test of tactical discipline against the raw physics of altitude. For the hosts, it is a desperate bid to turn their fortress into a lifeline. The temperature will hover near freezing. The ball will fly truer than at sea level. Lungs will burn. This is not just football; it is survival. And the prize is a pivotal step towards the round of 16.
Always Ready: Tactical Approach and Current Form
Always Ready enter this clash on the back of a turbulent run: two wins, one draw, and two losses in their last five across all competitions. But context is everything. Their 3-1 home demolition of Palmeiras in March remains the benchmark: high tempo, vertical transitions, and zero fear. In the Libertadores, they average just 42% possession but generate 1.8 xG per home game, a figure powered by set-piece strikes and long-range shooting. Their shape is a fluid 4-3-3 that collapses into a 4-5-1 without the ball. But the real weapon is the first 15 minutes of each half, when they press with a manic intensity that visiting teams cannot sustain. Defensively, the numbers are worrying: 14 fouls per game (highest in the group) and 2.1 goals conceded away from home. Yet at altitude, they concede only 0.7 xGA per match.
The engine room belongs to Marcelo Suárez, a box-to-box destroyer who covers 12 km per game and leads the competition in recovered balls in the attacking third. Up front, Dorny Romero (four goals in his last six starts) thrives on broken play. His movement off the shoulder is lethal against high lines. However, the loss of centre-back Luis Caicedo (suspended after a red card against Atlético-MG) forces a reshuffle. Veteran Nelson Cabrera steps in, but his lack of pace against Lanus’s nimble forwards is a glaring vulnerability. The absence of Caicedo’s aerial dominance also weakens their biggest weapon: attacking corners, which have produced 33% of their Libertadores goals.
Lanus: Tactical Approach and Current Form
Lanus arrive in Bolivia with a contrasting profile: pragmatic, disciplined, and built for knockout football. Their last five matches read three wins, one draw, and one loss. But the loss was a 1-0 home defeat to Cuiabá, where they managed only 0.4 xG. Under manager Ricardo Zielinski, the Argentine side deploys a compact 4-2-3-1 that prioritises defensive solidity over attacking adventure. They average 48% possession in the Libertadores but rank first in the group for defensive actions per game (22). Their primary progression method is left-sided overloads, forcing the opposition to shift before switching play to the right winger. Set-piece efficiency is modest (only one goal from corners), but they excel at disrupting rhythm. They average 16 fouls per game, many of them tactical and cynical.
The key figure is Leonardo Jara at right-back, whose inverted runs into midfield create numerical superiority in transition. However, the creative heartbeat is Matías Esquivel, a left-footed playmaker who operates in the half-spaces. He leads the squad in key passes (2.4 per 90 minutes) and progressive carries. Up front, Leandro Diaz (five goals in his last eight matches) is a poacher rather than a target man. He needs service to feet inside the box. The biggest blow is the injury to central midfielder Raúl Loaiza (ankle ligament tear). His replacement, Felipe Peña Biafore, is excellent at ball-winning but lacks Loaiza’s composure under pressure. That is a critical flaw when Lanus are forced to defend deep and clear repeatedly.
Head-to-Head: History and Psychology
These sides have met only twice, both in the 2021 Copa Sudamericana group stage. Lanus won 2-1 at home (a tight match decided by a late penalty) and then drew 1-1 in Bolivia. That draw saw the Argentine side complete only 62% of their passes in the final quarter of the pitch, and their goalkeeper made seven saves. The psychological edge belongs to Lanus: they know they can absorb pressure and strike on the break. For Always Ready, the memory of that draw is bitter. They had 17 shots but only four on target. That inefficiency remains their chronic weakness. There is no love lost either. The last meeting ended with three yellow cards and a post-match tunnel scuffle over alleged time-wasting. Expect a tense, stop-start affair.
Key Battles and Critical Zones
Dorny Romero vs. Lanus’s offside trap: Lanus play one of the highest defensive lines in the Argentine league (average offside calls per game: 3.2). Romero’s instincts are razor-sharp; he has been caught offside only twice in 2024. If Always Ready’s midfield can find him with early vertical passes, the entire Lanus backline will be forced to retreat, opening channels for cut-backs.
The altitude duel: Lanus’s tactical fouls vs. the referee’s threshold. In the first 20 minutes, Lanus will deliberately commit soft fouls to slow the game and catch their breath. The referee’s tolerance for these tactical stoppages will define the match’s rhythm. Always Ready thrive on a broken, transitional game. If the whistle blows every 90 seconds, their momentum dies.
The left-wing zone: Always Ready’s right-back Diego Medina is a defensive liability (1.8 tackles per game, 2.3 dribbles past). Lanus know this. Expect Pedro de la Vega (their fastest dribbler, 3.4 progressive carries per 90) to isolate him repeatedly. If Medina gets skinned early, a defensive overload will force Always Ready’s central midfield to shift, opening space for Esquivel’s late runs.
Match Scenario and Prediction
The first 25 minutes will be frantic. Always Ready will charge out with a suffocating press, targeting Lanus’s makeshift midfielder Biafore to force turnovers. If they score before the half-hour, the home crowd (5,000 at this temporary ground) will push them toward a second. If not, Lanus will gradually assert control, slowing the pace with short passes and fouls, then launching diagonal balls to de la Vega. The second half will be defined by substitutions. Lanus have deeper bench depth, while Always Ready’s starters fade after 70 minutes. The decisive goal, if it comes, will arrive between the 60th and 75th minute. It could be a Romero counter-attack or a Lanus set-piece routine targeting the towering Felipe Peña (1.88 m).
Prediction: A high-tempo, narrow affair. Both teams to score is highly probable. Lanus have netted in nine of their last 11 away Libertadores matches, and Always Ready have scored in all their home games. Given the altitude and the home side’s desperation, a draw suits neither. Expect a toss-up decided by individual error. Over 2.5 goals at 1.90 odds. Most likely outcome: 2-1 to Always Ready, but with Lanus covering the +0.5 Asian handicap as a safer play.
Final Thoughts
This match will be decided by one brutal question: can Lanus turn the game into an ugly, low-event chess match, or will Always Ready’s high-octane chaos break their lungs and their spirit? The Argentines have the tactical maturity to survive, but El Alto has a habit of rewriting logic. When the final whistle blows, we will know if this Bolivian band of brothers truly belongs among the continent’s elite, or if the altitude was always just a myth waiting to be debunked.
