Fluminense vs Cerro Porteno

Fluminense and Cerro Porteno are set to lock horns at the famous Maracanã in the return leg of their Copa Libertadores qualifying tie.

Fluminense are on the cusp of making it to the next qualifying round following a comfortable 2-0 first-leg win away from home. But the Brazilians have since suffered three straight defeats in all competitions, drawing a blank twice in the process. Encouragingly, though, the ‘Tricolor’ head into proceedings on the back of a 3-0 home win over domestic rivals Criciuma that halted a rough patch. Before beating Criciuma, Fluminense had alternated between drawing (2) and losing (2) in their previous four competitive home fixtures. Additionally, that triumph also marked only their second home game in which they managed to score more than once across their last ten outings on home soil. Indeed, entertainment has been relatively sparse in Fluminense’s competitive home matches, as six of their previous eight such contests featured under 2.5 total goals.

On the other hand, winless in their four competitive road trips (D3, L1), Cerro Porteno will need to produce something special to turn this tie on its head. That will be easier said than done, considering the Paraguayans have failed to find the back of the net in three consecutive away games in all competitions. Moreover, Francisco Acre’s men go into this clash in the midst of a disappointing form, having returned just a single win from their last nine outings across various competitions (D4, L4). A lack of firepower in the front third saw them net under 1.5 goals on each occasion during that eight-game sequence. Interestingly, none of Cerro Porteno’s three Copa Libertadores trips this calendar year have ended as a draw (W2, L1), with each match won/lost in that sequence seeing the victor keep a clean sheet.