Fluminense can book a place in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores and secure first place in Group A with a victory versus Cerro Porteno on Thursday at the Maracana.
The reigning champions claimed a 1-0 triumph over Colo-Colo last week, giving them eight points, three more than the Paraguayans, who are second following a 1-1 draw with Alianza Lima.
Match preview
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After a slow start in the group stage, Fluzao have picked up their game, winning two of their previous three encounters following a 1-1 draw with Alianza Lima in their opener.
That has put Fernando Diniz's men on the brink of making the knockout stage of this tournament for the third time in the previous four editions of the Copa Libertadores, as they are unbeaten after four fixtures.
Flu have been sharp defensively in the group stage so far, conceding just two goals after four matchdays, tied for the fewest so far this season.
Their next two fixtures take place at the historic Maracana, where they are unbeaten in their last four group matches in this competition, while their previous home defeat in this portion of the tournament occurred in 2021 (2-1 versus Junior).
The Brazilians have lost just one of their last four matches in all competitions and have not suffered a defeat at home since the opening leg of their Cariocca Serie A semi-final tie with Flamengo (2-0).
They are undefeated at home against Paraguayan opposition in the Libertadores, winning five of those six encounters all-time in Rio while playing to a 0-0 draw versus Cerro Porteno on matchday three.
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Despite some inconsistent performance to this stage of the tournament, Cerro Porteno have their fate in their hands, sitting a point above Colo-Colo for an automatic place in the round of 16.
On matchday four, Manolo Jimenez's side went in front before the half-hour mark then found themselves hanging back to try and hold on, and ultimately, they crumbled, conceding an equaliser in the 80th minute.
Still, they managed to find the back of the net away from home for the first time in the group stage this season, though they are winless in their last 10 away contests in the group portion of this tournament.
The last time they emerged from a Libertadores group fixture with all three points on the road was in April 2021, defeating Colombian side America de Cali 2-0.
Cerro Porteno seem to have focused the majority of their attention on defending which has come with some positives and negatives, as they are currently tied with Fluminense for the fewest goals conceded in the group stage but have also scored just two themselves, the joint second-fewest thus far.
They have only won two Libertadores group contests on Brazilian soil, defeating Palmeiras 3-2 in 2006 and claiming a 1-0 triumph over Sao Caetano in 2002.
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Team News
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Marlon, Gabriel Pires, Andre and Renato Augusto are all expected to be out for Fluminense on Thursday with knee issues, while Thiago Santos and Douglas Costa might also be unavailable due to thigh injuries.
Lele is still recovering from an ACL injury, while Samuel Xavier is unlikely to feature until late May because of a sore foot.
Manoel had the only goal in their victory over Colo-Colo, as Fabio only had to make two stops to collect his second successive clean sheet of the competition.
Neither Bruno Valdez nor Lucas Quintana will be available for Cerro Porteno as they are on the road to recovery after each suffering cruciate ligament tears.
There was one new edition to their starting 11 on matchday four, as Federico Carrizo took the place of Jorge Morel, with the latter replacing him in the second half.
Juan Iturbe put El Ciclon in front in the 26th minute on matchday four, his first of the competition, but they conceded an equaliser in the final 10 minutes to Hernan Barcos.
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
Fabio; Marquinhos, Manoel, Melo, Marcelo; Lima, Martinelli; Terans, Ganso, Arias; Cano
Cerro Porteno possible starting lineup:
Jean; Benitez, Baez, Brock, Arzamendia; Carrascal, Da Motta; Iturbe, Carrizo, Dominguez; Churin
We say: Fluminense 2-0 Cerro Porteno
The Maracana can be an intimidating venue for visiting teams, and Fluminense have used that to their advantage throughout this tournament.
While the Paraguayans are more than capable of defending for long stretches, so are Fluzao, but the difference is that the Brazilians have more quality players who can create chances in transition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
