Sporting Cristal’s finish in the 2023 Liga 1 Clausura tournament does not meet fans’ expectations. Due to the lack of a date, the top club has very little chance of winning the short competition as they are behind Universitario, Melgar and Alianza Lima. With their place in the final virtually out of the question, the Rimenses would have to settle for third place in Peru (second round) for the 2024 Copa Libertadores, although even that place is in jeopardy if a series of unfavorable results occur the next day.
Assuming that both Domino and the “U” achieve results that make them winners of the short competition and runners-up in the overall competition, respectively, a playoff would be held between these two clubs to determine the other finalist of the Peruvian Championship ( Alianza has already assured its presence in the definition.
If the top team wins, little or nothing would change for Cristal, which would retain its spot in Peru 3. However, if it were Domino who made it to the final of Liga 1, Tiago Nunes’ team would be relegated to Peru 4 (first round of the Libertadores), although they would be ahead of the Arequipeños in the overall table.
Sporting Cristal has not been champion in League 1 since 2020. Photo: Luis Jiménez/GLR
YOU CAN SEE: Raffo’s clear response to Reynoso after he criticized Grimaldo and the League 1 players
Why would that happen? According to the basics of Liga 1 2023, the two finalists (Alianza and Melgar according to this simulation) will qualify directly for the Libertadores group stage. The two remaining tickets for the previous phases go to the best placed in the annual table. Since those from Ate would have an advantage over the breweries, they would keep the position of third Peruvian representative and leave fourth place to Cristal.
Can Sporting Cristal still win the Clausura tournament?
The only chance Sporting Cristal has to strike and win the Clausura tournament on the final day is to win the game and hope that Alianza Lima, Universitario and Melgar lose.
When does Sporting Cristal play?
Sporting Cristal’s next game is the home duel against Alianza Atlético, on Sunday October 30th, from 3:00 p.m. This game will be played simultaneously with five other games.