Alianza Lima makes its Chongoyape debut against Juan Pablo II as Guede looks to prove his team can win away from Matute

Chongoyape is not just another venue for Alianza Lima. In fact, it never has been: the blanquiazules had never set foot on that field in their entire history. And now, with the Torneo Clausura tightening up, they have to make their debut there against Juan Pablo II in a match that leaves little room for error.

The standings show no mercy. Alianza sits in seventh place with 12 points, four points behind the leaders, and another slip would force the club to start eyeing the aggregate table just to fight for a spot in the national final, rather than sealing the title outright. Pablo Guede knows this, which is why he is preparing his best available lineup to go after the result from the opening whistle.

The team expected to take the field in Chongoyape would have Alejandro Duarte in goal, with no debate over his starting spot. In front of him, the defense would be built around Renzo Garcés and Mateo Antoni as the center back pairing, while Luis Advíncula would line up on the right and Nicolás Díaz on the left, the latter covering for Marco Huamán, who has still not recovered from his injury.

A midfield under scrutiny

The last match against Garcilaso raised questions right there, in the middle of the field. Guede shuffled his pieces and the result was not entirely convincing, so now he would look to rebuild the block with Esteban Pavez as the anchor and reference point in midfield, flanked by Fernando Gaibor and Jairo Vélez, two skilled passers tasked with creating imbalance on the ball against a rival defense that will not be easy to break down.

Up top, the absence of Paolo Guerrero through injury reshapes the entire attacking line. Federico Girotti shifts into the middle to take over as the center forward, while the club waits to see how fit Luis Ramos is for the coming matchdays. Alongside him would be Alan Cantero once again, who already started against Garcilaso and earned another chance. Out wide, Eryc Castillo would round out the lineup Guede is expected to send onto the field.

The Argentine coach's approach does not change much from one match to the next: stick with the setup that has been working in the Clausura and turn it into wins, not just good intentions. In Chongoyape, against a home team that rarely gives anything away, Alianza needs to reaffirm something it has not fully proven this season: that it also knows how to win away from Matute.