Fluminense will look to all but confirm their spot in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 on Wednesday, when they welcome Colombian outfit Atletico Junior to Rio de Janeiro.
The hosts sit at the top of their group having won two and drawn two of their opening four games, while the visitors can keep their qualification hopes alive with a win on Wednesday, having drawn three of their first four matches and lost the other.
Match preview
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Fluminense picked up a crucial victory in their last Copa Libertadores outing, as they hosted Colombian side Santa Fe.
The visitors took the lead on the hour mark through Jersson Gonzalez, but the Tricolor instantly equalised through Fred before Caio Paulista netted the winner in the final 10 minutes.
That was the second victory of the group stage for Roger Machado's side, having also defeated Santa Fe by the same scoreline away from home, as Fred netted a brace.
With a solid tally of eight points from four matches, Fluminense find themselves two points clear at the top of the group, while a win on Wednesday would move them eight points clear of their opponents, who currently occupy third spot.
As a result, a third group victory should see Machado's men book their spot in the knockout stages, and they will be desperate to pick that up on Wednesday to avoid drama on the final round of group fixtures.
They take on a Junior side who are still on the hunt for their first win of the group stage, having drawn three and lost one of their opening four fixtures.
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The Colombian side come into this game on the back of consecutive draws in the group stage, firstly drawing 1-1 at home to Wednesday's opponents as Miguel Borja's early opener was cancelled out by a Kayky equaliser for the visitors.
They were then disappointed to be held to a point in the dying minutes of their recent game at home to Argentinian outfit River Plate.
Amaranto Perea's side looked set to seal a 1-0 win and put three points on the board after Borja's opener, but the visitors equalised in the 92nd minute through Paulo Diaz to cruelly snatch a point away from Junior.
With three points from the opening four games, Wednesday's visitors find themselves in third spot in group D, a place which grants passage to the Copa Sudamericana group stage, but they will have their sights set on a top-two finish if they can manage to put their first win of the continental campaign on the board.
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Team News
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Fluminense only made one change to their side for the recent game against Santa Fe, as Egidio came in for Danilo Barcelos at left-back, and they are likely to stick with a similar team again on Wednesday.
Experienced forward Fred should lead the line, having netted four goals in his four group matches so far this season.
He will be supported by the wide threat of 17-year-old Kayky, who will move to Premier League champions Manchester City at the end of this season after a series of eye-catching performances in Brazil.
The Junior attack will be led by key man Miguel Borja, who has netted in each of their last three matches in the group stage, with no other player getting on the scoresheet for the Colombian outfit since the opening draw with Santa Fe.
Larry Vasquez and Didier Moreno should continue to feature in midfield while Fredy Hinestroza and Jhon Pajoy will offer threat from the wide areas.
Experienced goalkeeper Sebastian Viera will continue in the Junior goal, having recently brought up his 10th year at the club.
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
M Felipe; Calegari, Nino, Claro, Egidio; Y Felipe, Martinelli; Kayky, Nene, Henrique; Fred
Atletico Junior possible starting lineup:
Viera; Viafara, Rosero, Ditta, Fuentes; Vasquez, Moreno; Pajoy, Gonzalez, Hinestroza; Borja
We say: Fluminense 2-1 Atletico Junior
We see both sides' form continuing on Wednesday, as Fluminense march toward the final 16 while Junior struggle to pick up a victory.
The Brazilian outfit have looked the strongest side in this group so far, and we expect them to pick up their third victory of the campaign over a Junior side who are yet to win.
Top tip
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 Fluminense win with a probability of 56.93%. A draw had a probability of 23.5% and a win for Atletico Junior had a probability of 19.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fluminense win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.13%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.6%) and 2-1 (9.75%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.15%), while for an Atletico Junior win it was 0-1 (6.38%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 5.1% likelihood.
