America Mineiro vs. Fortaleza (Thursday, 11.00pm)
© Reuters
America Mineiro and Fortaleza will square off in the opening leg of their quarter-final tie of the Copa Sudamericana at Estadio Raimundo Sampaio in Belo Horizonte on Thursday.
It is the first time either Brazilian side have made it into the last eight of this competition, with America eliminating Bragantino on penalties in the previous round, while Leao do Pici edged Libertad 2-1 on aggregate.
We say: America Mineiro 1-1 Fortaleza
America have shown plenty of resilience and quality at home in this year's competition, but they might find it harder to penetrate a defensive unit who have been a little more consistent throughout the campaign than Bragantino.
Fortaleza have put together their share of positive results on the road this season, and we expect they will be in another scrappy affair this week, which might make it harder for them to create chances in transition.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
LDU Quito vs. Sao Paulo (Thursday, 11.00pm)
© Reuters
The Copa Sudamericana has reached the quarter-final stage, and LDU Quito will host Sao Paulo in their first-leg match on Thursday.
The hosts head into this one in the midst of an incredible 17-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, which is something that the visitors will be pushing to break down.
We say: LDU Quito 1-1 Sao Paulo
Both teams will bring strong squads to this match, and Sao Paulo will certainly be confident they have the quality to cause problems away from home.
However, the incredible run of form that LDU Quito are on right now will make them difficult to break, in what will likely be a very tight and cagey game.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Oliver Thomas
