Racing Club and Cruzeiro will meet at the Normal Pablo Rojas in Asunción for the final of the CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana on Saturday. The Argentines fought back to overcome Corinthians 4-3 in a combination at the semi-final hour; The Brazilians narrowly beat Lanús 1-0 to remain 2-1 in two games.
Racing Club will have its first appearance in a continental final since the 1989 Recopa Sudamericana, in which it lost 1-0 to Nacional of Uruguay. Gustavo Costas’ men are on a very good path with five consecutive victories in all competitions and a victory here would convey a major CONMEBOL title since the 1967 Copa Libertadores.
The last Argentine team to win the Copa Sudamericana was Defensa y Justicia again in 2020. Racing has not lost to the Brazilian fighters at home in this version. On the other hand, Cruzeiro beat Lanús in Buenos Aires to get here and may put that record to the test.
Fernando Diniz has never lost in a CONMEBOL final at club level with Fluminense winning the Copa Libertadores at one time and the Recopa Sudamericana 2024. Cruzeiro, however, has lost two in its last three games in all competitions.
With just one goal conceded in six Sudamericana away games, a 1-0 loss to Boca Juvenil in the round of 16 is their best away loss. Brazilian teams have lost the last two South American finals, with Athletico Paranaense being the last to win that trend in 2021 and Cruzeiro’s last continental luck came in the 1997 Copa Libertadores.
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- Moment: Saturday November 23 | Week: 3 pm Eastern Time
- Location: Pablo Rojas Normal Stadium – Asunción, Paraguay
- Take care of: beIN Sports activities | Flow: Fubo (attempt for independence)
- Odd: Runs +138; Draw +206; Cruzeiro +208
How they gave them to you right here
Racing capped Team H with five wins out of six and just one loss for first place before downing Chile’s Huachipato 8-1 in a mix-up in the round of 16. They later beat Atlético Paranaense of Brazil 4-2 in two games in the final. quarter-finals before beating Corinthians 4-3 in the semi-finals to get here. Cruzeiro capped Team B with three wins and three draws out of six for seventh of eight seeding spots before aiming for consequences to eliminate Boca Juvenil in the round of 16 closer to a 2-2 draw in two legs. A three-1 victory over Libertad of Paraguay in the quarter-finals followed a 2-1 victory against Lanús in the semi-finals that reserved this category.
Workforce information
Racing: Roger Martínez and Santiago Solari arrived last month, but are unlikely to start ahead of Maximiliano Salas and the match’s top scorer, Adrián Martínez, here. Juan Fernando Quintero’s double complicates this distance for them and he will also have to start just behind the two forwards.
Imaginable careers XI: Arias; Martirena, Di Cesare, García Basso, Rojas; Almond, Sosa, Nardoni; Quintero, A. Martínez, Salas.
Cruzeiro: Rafa Silva is injured and is likely to be out of time. Gabriel Verón, Matheus Pereira and Kaio Jorge are eligible despite suspension at home over the weekend. Jorge was the hero of the semi-final as Cassio saved his second clean sheet of the contest to get here and they can both begin.
Imaginable Cruzeiro XI: Cassius; William, Marcelo, Villalba, Xavier; Romero, Walace; Verón, Pereira, Díaz; Jorge.
Prediction
It will have to be tight, but something has to present itself, so don’t be surprised if Racing makes it through a feature despite Cruzeiro’s defense. Choose: Racing 2, Cruzeiro 1.
