September brings round three of the Copa de la División Profesional group stage to El Alto, where ABB host San Antonio Bulo Bulo. For the home side, it is a chance to begin collecting points in a campaign that has so far offered little comfort. For the visitors, it represents an opportunity to build on their only victory in recent weeks, a result achieved against the very team they now face.
ABB arrive on the back of a difficult run, with only one win in their last six outings across all competitions. That solitary success was a 2-0 home victory over Universitario de Vinto in the Primera División, a bright spot amid heavy defeats to Bolívar and Real Potosí, and narrow losses to Always Ready and Gualberto Villarroel SJ. The most recent result, however, was a 2-0 home loss to San Antonio Bulo Bulo in this same competition, a result that will be fresh in the minds of coach Sebastian Nunez and his players as they seek to reverse the trend at their own ground.
San Antonio Bulo Bulo, under coach Juan Cortes, have been erratic of late. Their form shows three defeats in the last five, including heavy losses to The Strongest and Oriente Petrolero in the Primera División, and a narrow reverse at home to Aurora in the cup. But their season was given a boost with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Guabirá, and they followed that with the clean sheet win against ABB. That 2-0 success, achieved away from home, stands as a reference point for what they can produce when their attack clicks, even if their away record in this competition has been inconsistent.
There is no previous head-to-head history to draw upon beyond that recent meeting, which tells its own story. The fixture in El Alto therefore carries an element of the unknown, with both sides looking to impose themselves early in the group. ABB will be wary of repeating the defensive lapses that cost them in the reverse fixture, while San Antonio Bulo Bulo will aim to prove that their win over Saturday's opponents was not a one-off.
With the group stage still in its infancy, the table remains malleable, and both clubs will view this as a winnable encounter. The certainty of a passionate crowd in El Alto and the backdrop of an evening kickoff will frame a contest between two teams searching for consistency. There is plenty at stake, and the opening exchanges may well dictate the tone of an evening that neither side can afford to let slip.
