Independiente Santa Fe continues to make headlines in the second half of the Liga BetPlay 2024. Currently fourth in the standings with 19 points, seven behind the top team Once Caldas, the cardinal team is hopeful of securing early qualification and once again fighting for the title.
Pablo Peirano is on track to achieve the tenth star with a club that maintains the same consistency week after week. The Uruguayan was very close to achieving it, falling in the penalty shootout against Atlético Bucaramanga, who won their first title in the top category.
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Atlético Bucaramanga, the current Colombian champion, secured their spot in the Copa Libertadores de 2025. With this position confirmed, several others remain to be defined, and much of that will depend on the champion of the second half, which Santa Fe is still fighting to achieve, as well as the reclassification table and the Copa BetPlay, which now offers a spot in the Copa Sudamericana.
As long as Santa Fe continues on the winning path, the cardinal team will rise in the reclassification table. Under Pablo Peirano’s direction, they surpassed Alianza FC in one of the four postponed games, reaching 72 points and pulling four points ahead of Deportes Tolima.
SANTA FE SECURED INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT THROUGH RECLASSIFICATION
With 72 points, Independiente Santa Fe hopes to secure a spot in the top two positions of the reclassification to guarantee their place in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. Tolima would also secure that spot by maintaining that position. The cardinals have a four and nine point lead over the second and third place teams, a narrow margin that could be significant in the upcoming matches.
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On the other hand, if not for the title or for the two reclassification spots for the Libertadores, they also dream of the Sudamericana, a competition they already won in 2015. The winner of the Copa BetPlay and the teams finishing third to fifth in the reclassification will qualify for this competition.
Millonarios is currently fifth with 54 points, 18 points behind Santa Fe. It would be very difficult for the cardinals to lose their spot with such a difference against their bitter rival, who is in the last position that grants access to international competitions.