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Nicaragua Primera Division Odds & Picks: Clausura Preliminary Playoffs

John Dillon

by John Dillon in Soccer News

Updated Mar 16, 2021 · 8:25 AM PDT

Swansea vs Middlesborough
The ball is seen during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
  • Two games on Wednesday in Nicaragua Clausura playoff quarterfinals
  • Diriangen unbeaten in four games ahead of clash with Juventus Managua
  • See all odds and best bets for Nicaragua Primera Divison Clausura playoffs

Top-level soccer is continuing in Nicaragua despite the shutdown of the game in most nations because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Primera Division Clausura competition has now reached the playoff stage after the conclusion of the 10-team regular season.

Diriangen finished third in the regular table and will be at home against sixth-placed Juventus Managua on Wednesday in the four-team quarterfinal stage on April 22, at Estadio Cacique Diriangen, 7:00 pm EST.

Also on Wednesday, fourth-placed Walter Ferretti play Municipal Jalapa, who were fifth at Estadio Nacional De Futbol, Managua, 9:00 pm EST.

Managua, who were first, and second-placed Real Esteli have a bye into the four-team semifinals.

Pick 1: Diriangen vs Juventus Managua

Diriangen enter their quarterfinal game off the back of a four-game unbeaten run in the regular season.

Oddsmakers price them as -205 favorites to win with Juventus Managua at +507. The draw is +202.

Diriangen vs Juventus Managua Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Diriangen -1 (-112) -205 Ov 2½ (-112)
Juventus Managua +1 (-108) +507 Un 2½ (-108)
Draw N/A +292 N/A

All odds taken Apr. 22

The spread price of -112 for Diriangen to win by more than one goal looks the best value on offer.

They defeated eighth-place finishers Real Madriz 3-1 at home in their final regular season game last weekend.

YouTube video

This followed two successive goalless draws away against Municipal Jalapa and then Real Esteli.

The undefeated run had begun with a 3-0 home win against Chinandega.

Juventus Managua’s form in the run-in towards the playoffs was patchy and they failed to win in the final two regular season games.

Diriangen were 1-0 winners at home when they met Juventus early in the Clausura campaign on February 15, however, Juventus Managua were victorious on their home pitch on April 4 with a 3-0 win. In fact a road team has won just once in the past 18 head-to-head matches between these two sides.

A 1-0 defeat away against Deportivo Ocotal – who finished ninth in the table – was followed by a 1-1 draw at home against the eventual bottom-placed team Deportivo Las Sabanas. This, though, was enough to snatch sixth spot.

Diriangen were 1-0 winners at home when they met Juventus early in the Clausura campaign on February 16.

However, Juventus scored an impressive 3-0 victory in the return fixture on April 5th.

The regular season record for Diriangen was made up of 10 wins, five draws and only three defeats.

They were the fifth-highest goalscorers in the competion with a tally of 22. They conceded 11 times.

In their favor ahead of the playoff is the fact that they had the second-best home record in the Clausura while Juventus were a lowly eighth in the away form table.

Diriangen won seven times at home while drawing once and losing only one fixture on their own patch.

Juventus failed to win on the road and drew four times while losing on five occasions.

Matches in Nicaragua are being played behind closed doors with players admitting they are reducing physical contact because of their fears over the virus.

Pick: Diriangen -1 (-112)

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Pick 2: Walter Ferretti vs Jalapa

Walter Ferretti finished the regular season with a 1-0 defeat away from home against table-toppers Managua.

But they had been the Clausura’s form team before that with four straight wins.

With that in mind, Walter Ferretti are rated at -243 for a victory with Jalapa priced at +533. The draw is +335.

Walter Ferretti vs Jalapa Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Walter Ferretti -1,-1½ (+110) -243 Ov2½,3 (-101)
Jalapa +1,1½ (-130) +543 Un2½,3 (-119)
Draw N/A +335 N/A

The spread offer for Walter Ferreti to win by two goals or more looks promising at +110.

Against this, their opponents Jalapa failed to win in the final five regular season games.

YouTube video

That run included three defeats and two draws.

It finished last weekend with a 2-1 home defeat by second-placed finishers Real Esteli following a 6-1 thrashing away against leaders Managua.

In total, Walter Ferretti won nine times while drawing three and losing six.

They were prolific goal-scorers with the league’s second-best total of 31 while they conceded 18 times.

For Jalapa, the regular season record comprised of five wins, six draws and seven defeats

They scored 24 times but their defensive record almost matched this with 23 goals conceded.

There was a 2-2 draw when Walter Ferretti were at home against Jalapa on the opening day of the Clausura on January 26. The two also met more recently on March 21 which resulted in a 2-0 home win for Jalapa.

Walter Ferretti racked up the competition’s third-best home statistics with six wins, one draw and two defeats on their own turf.

They scored an impressive 23 times at home thanks partly to a 7-0 hammering of Chinandega on March 30. They conceded just seven goals on their own patch.

Meanwhile, Jalapa managed just one away win with three draws and five defeats.

They scored only four times on the road while conceding 16 goals.

Pick: Walter Ferretti -1,-1½ (+110)

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