Sun Nov 03 20:40:00 UTC 2024: ## Cali Derby Heats Up as América Aims for Top Spot, Deportivo Cali Seeks to Escape Relegation
**Cali, Colombia** – This Sunday, the Pascual Guerrero stadium will be the stage for the latest edition of the fierce Cali derby, as América de Cali takes on Deportivo Cali in the 16th round of the Liga Betplay 2024-II.
América, currently leading the league, will be looking to solidify their position at the top with a crucial three points. Meanwhile, Deportivo Cali, battling to avoid relegation, will be aiming for a surprise victory against their city rivals.
América comes into the match after suffering their second defeat of the season against Junior, followed by a mid-week draw with Bucaramanga in the Copa Betplay semifinals. For this clash, coach Jorge ‘Polilla’ Da Silva will be without Edwin Velasco and Éder Álvarez Balanta, the latter sidelined due to a knee injury.
Deportivo Cali, on the other hand, enters the game with a boost of confidence after securing their first league win in recent weeks against Bucaramanga. This victory provides an opportunity to gain further distance from the relegation zone, especially as their closest rivals, Jaguares and Envigado, lost and drew their respective matches this week.
The last encounter between the two teams at the Pascual Guerrero was in October for the Copa Betplay quarterfinals, where América triumphed 2-0 with goals from Duván Vergara.
The match kicks off at 4:10 p.m. on November 3rd and will be broadcast on Win Sports+.
First Piper 