The second leg of the Libertadores Cup Round of 16 between River Plate (Argentina) and Libertad (Paraguay) will take place on August 22 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. The first match ended 0-0. River Plate vs. Libertad: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
River Plate
Marcelo Gallardo's men drew 0-0 in the first leg away from home. This result extended River Plate's unbeaten run in the Libertadores Cup to eight matches (3 wins, 5 draws). However, it was only the second time in this tournament that the team failed to score. To progress to the next round, the club needs a win. Notably, over the previous eight seasons, the Argentinians have only been eliminated before the quarter-finals twice.
- The team has not lost in regular time in their last 17 home matches in the Libertadores Cup (13 wins, 4 draws).
- The club has kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 9 home games in this tournament.
- The Argentinians have scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in regular time in 9 of their last 12 home matches in the Libertadores Cup.
Predicted lineup for River Plate (4-4-2)
Franco Armani – Gonzalo Montiel, Paulo Diaz, Sebastian Boselli, Marcos Acuña – Kevin Castaño, Enzo Perez, Matias Galarsa, Santiago Lensinas – Miguel Borja, Facundo Colidio.
Defender Lucas Martinez Quarta and forward Maximiliano Salas are injured.
Libertad
After a draw in the first leg, Sergio Aquino's side extended their winless streak in the Libertadores Cup to five matches (4 draws, 1 loss). Additionally, it was the third time in this stretch that Libertad failed to score. To advance to the next playoff round, the club needs to win in regulation time; a draw will lead to extra time. It is worth noting that the Paraguayans have not reached the quarter-finals since the 2019/20 season.
- The team has not won in regular time in 6 of their last 7 away matches in the Libertadores Cup (3 draws, 3 losses).
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 5 of their last 7 away games in this tournament.
- The Paraguayans have conceded exactly 1 or 2 goals in regular time in 6 of their last 8 away matches in the Libertadores Cup.
Predicted lineup for Libertad (4-5-1)
Martin Silva – Robert Rojas, Diego Viera, Nestor Jimenez, Ivan Ramirez – Hugo Fernandez, Alvaro Campuzano, Lorenzo Melgarejo, Lucas Sanabria, Ivan Franco – Gustavo Aguilar.
Midfielder Hugo Fernandez will not play due to suspension.
Match Prediction: River Plate vs. Libertad
The Argentinians are confident on home turf in international competitions and regularly achieve maximum results. However, River Plate prefers not to take excessive risks and, having gained an advantage in the score, they tend to play cautiously. As a result, the Argentinians often limit themselves to two goals – in their last 12 home matches in the Libertadores Cup, the team has only surpassed this mark once.
Libertad, while not shining with results on the road, does not allow their opponents too much. In their last 13 away matches in the Libertadores Cup, the team has not conceded more than two goals, and in three of those games, they even managed to keep a clean sheet. Furthermore, in the previous edition of this tournament, the Paraguayans conceded two goals in their head-to-head encounter with River Plate on their home ground.
I believe Libertad can withstand the Argentine's attack well enough not to concede more than two goals. My prediction: River Plate individual total under 2.5 goals
