River Plate vs The Strongest

A nail-biting finale in the 2023 Copa Libertadores Group D pits River Plate and The Strongest against each other at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

It’s not been an inspiring Copa Libertadores campaign for River Plate by any stretch of the imagination, as a mediocre return of two wins from the first five Group D matches (D1, L2) throws their qualification hopes in doubt. Level on points with third-placed Sporting Cristal and only one clear of upcoming rivals The Strongest, Enzo Francescoli’s team could still end up empty-handed unless they come out on top here. But starting with a 2-0 home triumph over Fluminense on Gameweek 5, the runaway Liga Professional leaders have strung together four straight wins across all competitions in the lead-up to this ‘make or break’ contest. On top of that, ‘Los Millonarios’ boast a 100% win ratio in Copa Libertadores home games this season (W2), with both those victories featuring a two-goal margin.

As for The Strongest, a gut-wrenching 2-1 home defeat to Sporting Cristal last time out significantly derailed their hopes of making out of the group stages, demoting them to the bottom of Group D. That was their third loss in five group-stage assignments (W2), suggesting the visitors should consider themselves lucky for being in contention for a top-two finish heading into the final matchday. But achieving that milestone will hinge on The Strongest’s ability to defy their woeful away record after losing both previous away games in Group D via an identical 1-0 scoreline. A 1-0 defeat at Sporting Cristal on their most recent Copa Libertadores travel forms part of a morale-damaging four-game losing streak on hostile turf, during which Ismael Rescalvo’s side failed to get on the scoresheet three times.