BOGOTA —
Champion Fluminense leads the list of five Brazilian teams that will begin the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores this week.
Fluminense was crowned champion in 2023 for the first time in its history and added the fifth consecutive regional title for Brazil, which through Flamengo and Palmeiras had monopolized the trophies since 2019.
The last team to have eluded the dominance of the Brazilians was River Plate in 2018. The “millionaires”, who will face Colo Colo of Chile, are excited about the return of coach Marcelo Gallardo to the bench and about the final that will be played in Buenos Aires on November 30.
The fratricidal duels between Atlético Mineiro and Fluminense and Sao Paulo and Botafogo guarantee that Brazil will have at least two semi-finalists in the current Libertadores. In the last three editions, they have occupied three of the four places in the phase prior to the decisive match.
Peñarol, which with five titles is the most successful club in the race, will have a tough test against Flamengo.
Mineiro challenges the champion
Fluminense has not shown the level with which it won its first Libertadores in November after beating Boca Juniors at the Maracaná stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Poor results at the start of the year cost coach Fernando Diniz his job, but the arrival of Mano Menezes has not improved the situation.
El Tricolor has accumulated 12 defeats in the domestic championship and hopes to show its best face against Atlético Mineiro, after beating Gremio in the round of 16 on penalties.
The addition of experienced defender Thiago Silva, after 15 seasons in European football with Milan, PSG and Chelsea, has given solidity to the defence and Colombian Jhon Arias continues to be one of the leaders of the attacking game.
Last season’s top scorer, Germán Cano, has not had continuity due to an injury to his right foot, while midfielder André was sold to Wolverhampton in the Premier League.
After a near-perfect group stage, Atlético Mineiro — champions in 2013 — struggled more than expected to beat San Lorenzo.
The team led by Argentine Gabriel Milito has the firepower of forwards Hulk, Deyverson and Paulinho, who has scored six goals in the competition, to try to knock out the champions.
River dreams of the final at home
River Plate finished the group stage as the best leader, which guarantees that it will win at home in all the qualifiers in which it participates.
The return of coach Marcelo Gallardo, who led the Argentine team to the Libertadores title in 2015 and 2018, is one of the assets to face Colo Colo, led by former Boca coach Jorge Almirón.
River has strengthened with world champions Marcos Acuña and Germán Pezzella and is enjoying the good form of attacker Miguel Ángel Borja, who has 28 goals in 2024, including six in Libertadores.
Colo Colo, led by Almirón, has shown an associated game and is the team with the most passes (5,935), almost a thousand more than Mineiro, which occupies second position in the table.
With the outstanding presence of Carlos Palacios, leader in shots (31) and dribbles (51) of the competition, Cacique will seek to surprise River, who between the two quarter-final matches will have to play the superclásico against Boca Juniors on Saturday at La Bombonera.
Flamengo invested to win again
Flamengo spent more than 50 million dollars in the last transfer market in search of its fourth continental star.
Full-back Alex Sandro, midfielder Carlos Alcaraz and winger Gonzalo Plata are the new faces that former Brazilian coach Tite is counting on to face Peñarol.
The “Mengao” will miss striker Pedro, who suffered a serious injury to his left knee during the training camp with the Canarinha in the recent double date of the qualifiers. Everton Cebolinha and Matías Viña are also out for a long time.
Peñarol, five-time Libertadores champion, advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in 13 years after a strong performance against The Strongest.
The striking power of midfielder Leo Fernández and the goal-scoring ability of Maximiliano Silvera, who has scored six goals in eight appearances, are the main assets of the Uruguayan team.
Sao Paulo returns with Izquierdo in memory
The tie between Sao Paulo and Botafogo will be marked by the memory of Uruguayan Nacional player Juan Manuel Izquierdo, who died from irreversible neurological damage suffered in the round of 16 match against the São Paulo club.
Botafogo, the only team that has not won the Libertadores among the eight that remain in the competition, has managed to progress since the qualifying phase and comes from surprising Palmeiras in the round of 16.
Fogao, which leads the Brazilian league by three points, will miss striker Junior Santos, the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals, due to the fractured tibia he suffered two months ago.
Sao Paulo, champion in 1992, 1993 and 2005, will try to gain a strong showing at the Morumbi stadium, where it has remained unbeaten in four matches.
