Argentinian side San Lorenzo host Brazilian giants Santos in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie of the Copa Libertadores at the Estadio Pedro Bidegain in Buenos Aires.
The match will take place at 21:30 local time on Tuesday evening between two clubs who will be hoping to put themselves in a strong position to reach this year's group stages.
Match preview
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San Lorenzo progressed from the second qualifying round of the Copa Libertadores after beating Universidad de Chile 3-1 on aggregate last month.
A 1-1 draw in the first leg was followed up with a 2-0 victory on home soil, thanks to strikes from Franco Di Santo and Angel Romero.
San Lorenzo's only triumph in this competition was in 2014, when they beat Paraguayan side Atletico Nacional 2-1 on aggregate.
Since then, they have only reached the semi-finals stage once, but manager Diego Dabove will feel that the strength and quality of his squad this year will give El Ciclon a good chance of progressing further this time around.
The 15-time Argentine Primera Division champions have struggled in the league this campaign, winning only three of their opening eight matches and they currently sit nine points behind leaders Club Atletico Colon.
Back-to-back 2-0 victories in the top flight against Estudiantes and Rosario Central will have given Dabove's side confidence heading into Tuesday night's clash, but the contest against one of South America's biggest clubs is set to be a much tougher challenge.
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Santos also managed to progress to the third qualifying round after beating Venezuelan outfit Deportivo Lara 3-2 on aggregate last month.
A 2-1 victory in the first leg was followed up with a 1-1 draw away from home and even though a one-goal aggregate lead seemed a precarious scoreline to protect, the Alvinegro were in control throughout the match and their goal was rarely threatened in the closing stages.
Santos were unable to build on 2019's second-placed finish in the Brasileiro Serie A as they dropped down to eighth in 2020, 17 points behind champions Flamengo.
Their 2021 league campaign begins this weekend, but they first travel to the Argentine capital, looking to secure a positive result to take back to Brazil for the second leg.
The Alvinegro have reached the quarter-final stages of the Copa Libertadores in three of the last four seasons and even though progression from the third round would only see them ranked in pot four for the group stages, Santos will still fancy their chances of going far in this year's competition.
Santos lost 1-0 in last year's final against Brazilian rivals Palmeiras but Ariel Holan, who was appointed as manager in February, will be hoping his side can go one step further this season and win the competition for the fourth time in their history.
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Team News
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San Lorenzo boss Dabove is unlikely to make too many changes from the side that beat Rosario Central.
Centre-back Fabrizio Coloccini, who spent eight years with Newcastle United between 2008 and 2016, has rarely featured so far this campaign, but he will be hoping to start ahead of either Federico Gattoni or Diego Braghieri.
Former Chelsea and Wigan Athletic striker Di Santo, who has scored six goals in eight games, is expected to start up front.
For Santos, 17-year-old centre-back Kaiky Fernandes has recently cemented his place in the starting lineup and is set to play once again alongside Luan Peres.
The sale of Diego Pituca to Japanese club Kashima Antlers in January has given both Sandry and Alison more opportunities to start regularly in midfield. Both Brazilians are set to feature in midweek.
With Kaio Jorge's future uncertain, Marcos Leonardo has been starting up front in recent weeks and he is expected to play again on Tuesday.
San Lorenzo possible starting lineup:
Devecchi; Peruzzi, Gattoni, Braghieri, Pitton; Elias, Rodriguez; A. Romero, O. Romero, Ramirez; Di Santo
Santos possible starting lineup:
Paulo; Para, Peres, Kaiky, Jonatan; Alison, Sandry; Braga, Mota, Soteldo; Leonardo
We say: San Lorenzo 1-1 Santos
Even though San Lorenzo and Santos have struggled domestically over the last year, both clubs will believe that they have what it takes to progress to the Copa Libertadores group stages this season.
The first leg is set to be a cagey affair, which could see the two sides play out a score draw at the Estadio Pedro Bidegain on Tuesday night.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a San Lorenzo win with a probability of 47.2%. A win for Santos had a probability of 27.75% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a San Lorenzo win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.37%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.35%) and 2-0 (8.16%). The likeliest Santos win was 0-1 (7.56%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.88%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2.6% likelihood.
