The Colombian league will start shooting this Thursday with 20 teams, six of them directed by foreign coaches: three Argentines, one Chilean, one Venezuelan and one Colombian-Uruguayan.
The tight tournament will open fires with the match between Águilas Doradas, directed by the ex-world champion Leonel Álvarez, and Atlético Bucaramanga, led by the Argentine Néstor Craviotto.
That same day they will go to the América de Cali field, which has Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio on the bench, and Envigado, whose strategist is the local Alberto Suárez.
On Friday they will face Santa Fe , whose strategist is the Argentine Martín Cardetti, and La Equidad, with Alexis García.
Cardetti was appointed last year to replace the Colombian Grigori Méndez, who failed to qualify Expreso Rojo for the semi-finals. .
The Argentine knows local football because he directed Bogotá FC, from Primera B, a tournament in which the teams seek to make the course to reach the First A.
The Chilean Manuel Suárez will have the responsibility of guiding Cortuluá, who returned to the A. His debut on the bench will be on Saturday, against Atlético Nacional.
Suarez, from 49 years, he was technical assistant of the Chilean national team in the times of Juan Antonio Pizzi.
On the other hand, the Argentine Juan Cruz Real has the reins of Junior, the team that has hired the best reinforcements, including striker Miguel Ángel Borja and midfielder Yesus Cabrera, who come from Brazilian football.
Fernando Uribe was also made, who along with holding midfielder Daniel Giraldo, had a good season at Millonarios.
Cruz Real arrives at the Junior bench after directing the Costa Rican Belén (550), to the Venezuelan Estudiantes de Mérida (2017) and in Colombia to Alianza Petrolera (2017-2018), to Jaguares de Córdoba (2019-2020 and América de Cali, with whom he became champion, in 2020.
Cruz Real’s first match will be against Patriotas Boyacá, in Barranquilla.
Meanwhile, Deportivo Cali, current champion, will debut on Sunday against Jaguares. The Sugar Producers are under the baton of the Venezuelan, Rafael Dudamel.
This coach arrived in Cali last September and was able to exploit the best virtues of players such as Uruguayan goalkeeper Guillermo de Amores, and strikers Teófilo Gutiérrez and Harold Preciado.
Finally, Julio Comesaña, a Uruguayan nationalized Colombian, continues with Independiente Medellín, whose first rival will be runner-up Deportes Tolima.
On par with the league, in the Copa Libertadores Sports Tolima, Deportivo Cali, Millonarios and Atlético Nacional will be present, while América de Cali, Junior, Independiente Medellín and La Equidad will participate in the South American Championship.
20.01: Golden Eagles-Athletic Bucaramanga, America de Cali-Envigado.
22.01: Santa Fe-La Equidad, Deportivo Pasto-Millionaires.
22.01: Cortuluá-Atlético Nacional, Once Caldas-Unión Magdalena, Junior-Patriotas.
23.: Independiente Medellín-Deportes Tolima, Jaguares-Deportivo Cali and Alianza Petrolera-Deportivo Pereira.
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