Sao Paulo v San Lorenzo Tips: All set for a card fest

• Strict ref in charge of crunch clash

• Cards look guaranteed in Copa Sudamericana tie

• Read Betfair's new 90 Minute Payout offer here

Sao Paulo v San Lorenzo
Thursday 10 August, 23:00

As a cards punter, my eyes light up when I see the appointment of referee Esteban Ostojich.

The Uruguayan has long forged a reputation as one of South America's highest carders and here we have a contest which looks perfectly set up for him to do his thing.

Reasons to be cheerful

First of all, it's a classic Brazil v Argentina contest and I've written about that rivalry in this column in the past.

Secondly, San Lorenzo have been one of the top teams in this season's Copa Sudamericana for cards.

And thirdly, the away side hold a 1-0 coming into the second leg, meaning they have something to fight to hold onto. The hosts have to score and may become increasingly desperate if things don't go their own way early on.

Ostojich's figures usually make eyecatching reading and this season is no exception.

In his six CONMEBOL club appointments, he's shown 43 yellow cards and 12 reds, although eight of the dismissals came after the final whistle following a mass brawl.

Even taking those off, those are impressive numbers with the official averaging close to eight cards per game.

And if the data sample is too small, a look across all competitions in 2023 shows Ostojich averaging 7.48 yellows per game and 0.48 reds.

High-card count beckons

In short, I think there will be plenty of cards dished out here - over 6.5 has landed in 13 of Ostojich's 21 games this year and can do so again.

I'll add that to over 2.5 cards for each team to form a Bet Builder which pays 6/5.

For those seeking a bigger price, consider Rodrigo Nestor to be among those booked - he's 5/2 in the player-card market.

That looks a tad big given the Sao Paulo midfielder been carded in 10 of 30 starts this season.

However, he's not a guaranteed starter here which is a bit off-putting - maybe check the teams around an hour before kick-off.

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