Copa Lib 2012 snapshots: Groups 3, 4

Thanks to the team from SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk ( Anthony Wright, Nicholas Rosano, Brian Maxwell, James Walker-Roberts and FOX Soccer's own Rupert Fryer) we know which of the tournament's 32 remaining clubs can be expected to be around after the group stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores. The competition starts in earnest on Tuesday. Here are their Group 3 and 4 snapshots:

GROUP 3
Full group 3 snapshot (SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk)

Without a team from Brazil or Argentina, Group 3 is unlikely to garner much international attention, which gives one of last year's quarterfinalists a chance to continue flying under the radar.

Universidad Catolica

Country: Chile
Best Finish(es): Runners-up in 1993
Key Player: Felipe Gutierrez
Expectations: Win the group and do damage in the knockout round
FOX Soccer prediction: Group winner

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Catolica have all of a sudden found themselves in the shadow of reigning Copa Sudamericana champion Universidad de Chile, both domestically and internationally. Make no mistake though, los Cruzados are a top side. They boast both promising youngsters and experienced veterans, despite the loss of longtime captain Milovan Mirosevic to the Columbus Crew.

Junior

Country: Colombia
Best Finish(es): Semifinalists in 1984
Key Player: Giovanni Hernandez
Expectations: Make the next round
FOX Soccer prediction: Second place

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Junior have collected two of the last four Colombian championships and put in a very good showing in last year's group stage. They have retained much of the core that carried them to success in 2011, though they will miss the prolific goalscoring of Carlos Bacca, recently sold to Club Brugge in Belgium. Junior can also depend on a strong midfield and defense. Veteran playmaker Giovanni Hernandez will once again be back to pull the strings in midfield.

Union Espanola

Country: Chile
Best Finish(es): Runners-up in 1975
Key Player: Sebastian Jaime
Expectations: Compete for second place
FOX Soccer prediction: Third place

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: A balanced, seasoned team that finished third in last year's combined table in Chile, Union Espanola don't boast too many star names. Backed by an experienced defensive line, they will not be an easy side to break down. Up front, Sebastian Jaime will be the focal point of the attack alongside 22-year-old Jean Paul Pineda.

Bolivar

Country: Bolivia
Best Finish(es): Semifinalists in 1986
Key Player: William Ferreira
Expectations: Play spoiler once or twice at home
FOX Soccer prediction: Fourth place

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Bolivia's most decorated club, Bolivar qualified for the tournament after winning Bolivia's truncated 2011 Torneo Adecuacion. As is usually the case with teams from La Paz, this young side will have the altitude to aid them, but they can also count on the goals of Uruguayan striker William Ferreira and support from talented young midfielder Rudy Cardozo. They should do well again in Bolivia but may find themselves overmatched on the continental stage.

GROUP 4
Full group 4 snapshot (SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk)

Like Group 1, Group 4 is top-heavy, containing two clubs that could develop into tournament favorites.

Boca Juniors

Country: Argentina
Best Finish(es): Copa winners in 1977, 1978, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007
Key Player: Juan Roman Riquelme
Expectations: To compete for a record-tying seventh title
FOX Soccer prediction: Group winner, if barely

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Boca Juniors return to the competition that defined the finest epoch in the club’s history when Carlos Bianchi led Los Xeneizes to three Libertadores Cups before Alfio Basile added a fourth four years later. Current coach Julio Falcioni has explicitly stated his desire to add his name to the list of Boca’s Libertadores-winning coaches. Boca have a base as solid as anyone else in the competition. Bolstered by the high profile arrivals of Pablo Ledesma and Santiago Silva, Boca will rightly be among the favorites with the bookmakers.

Fluminense

Country: Brazil
Best Finish(es): Runners-up in 2008
Key Player: Fred
Expectations: Make a deep run into the tournament
FOX Soccer prediction: Second place

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Flu go into this year’s Libertadores as a major force. Rafael Sobis has been in fine form since arriving in Rio and, alongside Rafael Moura, could offer considerable support to the prolific Fred. If little Manuel Lanzini and new signing Thiago Neves can supply enough bullets, Flu have the arsenal to fire themselves all the way to the final.

Arsenal de Sarandi

Country: Argentina
Best Finish(es): Group stage in 2008
Key Player: Carlos Carbonero
Expectations: Not many, in this group
FOX Soccer prediction: Third place

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Founded just over 50 years ago, the club made their Libertadores debut in 2008 and will be hoping to better their performance this time around, having failed to qualify from a group that contained both of that year’s finalists. They lost Mauro Óbolo to Velez in the mid-season break but have signed an extremely promising young Colombian in Carlos Carbonero from Estudiantes who was sensational in the first leg of Arsenal’s qualifier against Sport Huancayo. He, and his teammates, will have to show cooler heads if they hope to emerge from Group 4.

Zamora

Country: Venezuela
Best Finish(es): N/A
Key Player: Dario Figueroa
Expectations: None
FOX Soccer prediction: Fourth place

Via SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk: Zamora make their Copa Libertadores debut after sealing their ticket with the 2011 Venezuelan Torneo Clausura title. Captain Moses Galezo revealed last month that he and his teammates were continuing an adventure after appearing in last year’s Sudamericana, and veteran Dario Figueroa is looking forward to the opportunity to get one over on Boca (his former club) at La Bombonera.

For more on this year's Copa Libertadores as well as the rest of South American soccer, please visit SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk.