Bragantino will make the trip to Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha to face Barcelona SC in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-32 tie on Thursday morning.
These two will lock horns again next week in Sao Paulo, and the winner of the two-legged tie will earn a spot in the last 16, where they will be up against Corinthians.
Match preview
© Imago
The Ecuadorian Liga Pro will not be represented in the knockout stages of Copa Libertadores this season after LDU Quito, Independiente del Valle and Barcelona only managed third place in their groups.
Idolo del Ecuador were drawn into Group B of the premier competition and managed six points in as many group-stage matches, finishing seven points behind group qualifiers Sao Paulo and Talleres Cordoba.
Before the international break, Ariel Holan's side conceded just their second Liga Pro loss of the season to Mushuc Runa on the road, which brought an end to a six-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, during which they kept four clean sheets.
Since taking charge following Diego Lopez's exit in mid-April, Holan has now completed 12 matches at the helm across all competitions and has posted a record of six wins, three draws and three losses so far.
The new boss also steered his side to three consecutive home victories and four matches unbeaten before the international break, but it will be interesting to see if his side picks up where they left off, having not played a competitive match in almost two months.
Meanwhile, match sharpness will not be an issue for Bragantino, who have been in Brasileiro action throughout the Copa America tournament, unlike most other South American leagues.
However, while rustiness may not be an issue, Massa Bruta do not enter this contest in the greatest form, having lost their last two league matches and managing just one victory in their last five games (W1 D1 L3).
A major issue for Pedro Caixinha's side this season has come from their defensive unit, which has developed an unwanted habit of leaking goals cheaply. They have already let in 20 in less than half the league season, which is more than half than they allowed across the entire of last term.
Additionally, during the group stage of this competition, Bragantino allowed eight goals in their six matches, which was the joint most conceded by any side that qualified for the knockout round.
The visitors have also experienced a notable downturn in away form since the middle of last month, as they are currently winless in their last five games on the road, four of which ended in defeat.
- D
- D
- L
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Lopez will be unable to call upon Franklin Guerra and Allen Obando for this match, with the former currently recovering from ligament damage while the latter is ruled out through illness.
Argentine attacker Francisco Fydriszewski was enjoying a purple patch with five goals scored in his last five appearances before the league was halted, and he will almost certainly lead the line for the hosts in midweek.
A portion of the visitors' poor defensive performances of late can be attributed to injuries with Jadsom and Matheus Fernandes currently sidelined with a knee and hamstring injury, respectively.
Caixinha opted for a front three of Helio Junio, Eduardo Sasha and Henry Mosquera over the weekend but may consider reverting to two up-top here with Raul potentially being brought into midfield.
Barcelona SC possible starting lineup:
Burrai; R. Corozo, Ramirez, Sosa, Chala; Trindade, Gaibor, Quintero, Diaz, J. Corozo; Fydriszewski
Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Schwengber; Mendes, Henrique, Candido, Capixaba; Raul, Ramires, Evangelista, Lincoln; Mosquera, Sasha
We say: Barcelona SC 1-1 Bragantino
While Barcelona's record against Brazilian opponents is not the greatest, they are set to face an Bragantino side that are some way from their best at the moment.
The hosts will know that getting a positive result will be crucial here before heading to Sao Paulo next week, and we feel they will be able to keep the tie in the balance with a draw in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
