Posted: Saturday, December 2, 2023. 12:38 pm CST.
Verdes 1-1 Altitude (blue) on September 24 in San Ignacio – Photo Credit: Altitude/@moralez_arts
By Rubén Morales Iglesias: The Premier League of Belize’s 2023-24 Opening Season playoffs begin on Saturday night with two high-octane matches in the South and North of Belize: Altitude face Verdes while Progresso challenge Port Layola.
The defending champions and regular season leaders Verdes will face the fourth-placed Altitude at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence, while the regular season runners-up Port Layola will travel to the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk to challenge the third-ranked Progresso.
Verdes topped the regular season table with 29 points, followed by Port Layola with 27. Progresso secured the third spot with 24 points, while Altitude grabbed fourth place with 23 points, one more than Benque Viejo United who were left out last weekend after falling to Progresso.
Altitude and Verdes have been evenly matched this season, drawing both of their encounters. They played to a goalless draw at Independence last Saturday, and to a 1-1 tie in Cayo on September 24. The playoffs between these two archrivals are expected to be very competitive but Verdes will have to cope without their creative midfielder Jordy Polanco, who suffered a shoulder injury playing for the Belize Men’s National Team against French Guiana two weeks ago.
Port have a clear advantage over Progresso, having defeated them twice. Port won 2-0 in Orange Walk on August 19 and 3-1 at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex in Belize City on October 22. Despite Port’s dominance, Progresso are determined to reach the Finals, but losing striker Horace Avila to injury will definitely be a handicap.
Both games are scheduled for 7:30 pm.
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