Impact to take on CD Olimpia in crucial second leg
It’s easy to look at the Montreal Impact’s situation heading into the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal against C.D. Olimpia and dub them the underdog. Thierry Henry’s men lost the first leg 2-1 at Olympic Stadium back in March, allowing two goals before notching an extremely important one back in the second half. Heading into the second leg, the Impact will need a minimum of two goals against the Honduran side if it hopes to qualify to the next round.
But the Impact also has something in its advantage. In this particular situation, it can be found in the fact that Montreal will have avoided a trip to Honduras for the second leg, where it would’ve had to play in very unfamiliar territory.
Instead, they’ll play in Orlando, at Exploria Stadium. Needless to say, it’s a place that’s extremely familiar for the Impact players.
“I think it could be an advantage, not having to go to Honduras,” said Impact defender Luis Bunks. “We avoid the travel, the fans, the unfamiliar pitch. Obviously, they would rather be playing at home as well. We have to try and use that to our advantage. Our focus is on this game and what we can do to get through. We want to go all the way.”
Montreal will, however, be at a disadvantage regarding fitness. Thierry Henry’s men haven’t played in nearly a month, also undergoing a two-week quarantine period within that time frame upon returning to Montreal. Although the side did manage to get a few training sessions in before flying to Florida, the Honduran side, on its end, is currently in the middle of its domestic league season, having played its last game just three days ago, a 3-1 victory over Marathon.
It’s Olimpia’s ninth straight victory heading back to late October.
“Everything is possible,” said Impact head coach Thierry Henry. “We’re here. Of course, we will need to fight. But this team has always fought, no matter the results or mistakes we made. We always tried to give the best we had. Olimpia is a team that will be difficult to maneuver, who are currently in the middle of a very good stretch. We need to stay positive and avoid the negative. We will give everything we have to give. We’re here to try and qualify to the next round and make it as far as possible.”
The Impact announced its 25-man roster for the competition a few days ago, which also includes the club’s newest Academy signings. The game against CD Olimpia kicks off at 8pm on RDS, TSN, 98.5 and TSN 690.
