Racing Club are on the verge of their first Copa Sudamericana quarter-final appearance since 2017 as they host Huachipato on Tuesday from Estadio Presidente Peron in Avellaneda.
In the opening leg of that round of 16 tie last week, El Primer Grande earned a 2-0 away victory, putting them in the pole position to advance.
Match preview
© ImagoA goal in each half was enough to see Racing win the opening leg in Chile a week ago, their second away victory in this tournament.
That ended their two-match winless and goalless run across all competitions, while they enter this contest on a two-game winning run in all competitions, defeating Newell's Old Boys in the Argentine Primera Division on Friday (1-0).
In the Sudamericana group phase this year, Racing were only behind once after 45 minutes, losing 2-1 to Bragantino on that occasion.
Gustavo Costas's men won all of their group matches at home in the opening round by a combined margin of 9-0 but lost their last game played domestically at Estadio Presidente Peron, 1-0 versus Gimnasia.
The Argentines have never been knocked out in the last 16 of this competition, advancing past Corinthians at this stage in 2017 on away goals.
La Academia have won all three meetings against Chilean opponents at this tournament, defeating Coquimbo twice in the opening phase including a 3-0 triumph at home.
© Imago
It was a rough opening leg for Huachipato on Tuesday, as they failed to register a single effort on target and struggled to create much going forward.
As a result, their chances of advancing into the last eight of this tournament appear unlikely, with the Chileans netting a goal or fewer in five of their last six matches across all competitions.
However, this is not the first time Campeon del Sur will have to come from behind at this tournament, as they followed up a 3-2 loss to Racing from Uruguay with a 1-0 away triumph in leg two and advancing on penalties (3-0).
Huachipato have lost all three of their round of 16 matches at the Sudamericana, suffering successive defeats by a single goal against Sao Paolo at this stage in 2014.
Their only two victories in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores this year occurred away from home, a nice reminder for Igor Oca's side that there is still a chance to move on.
This past weekend, the club from Talcahuano won a game by two goals (2-0) for the first time since defeating Gremio away from home on matchday two of the Libertadores (2-0).
- L
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
Team News
© Imago
Last week, Racing were missing Agustin Garcia Basso, who has an ankle injury, while Juan Ignacio Nardoni was sidelined with an ankle sprain.
Adrian Martinez netted the winner in the opening leg, and he leads this tournament with seven goals, while Juan Fernando Quintero scored one minute before the end, giving his side a bigger cushion heading into this fixture.
There were five newcomers in the Huachipato starting 11 last Tuesday who did not begin their second-leg fixture versus the Uruguayan Racing, as Renzo Malanca, Claudio Sepulveda, Leandro Diaz, Sebastian Saez and Thiago Vecino were all inserted into the lineup.
Cris Martinez has scored all three of their goals at the Sudamericana this year, while Fabian Cerda did not concede in the penalty shootout of their previous away match at this tournament.
Racing Club possible starting lineup:
Arias; Mura, Sigali, Quiros, Rojas; Quintero, Sosa, Almendra; Carbonero, A. Martinez; Salas
Huachipato possible starting lineup:
Cerda; Malanca, Gazzolo, Gonzalez, Castillo; Montes, Silva; Palmezano, Villanueva, Briceno; C. Martinez
We say: Racing Club 2-0 Huachipato (Racing Club advance 4-0 on aggregate)
Despite a resilient come-from-behind victory at the round of 32, another comeback seems unlikely for the Chileans against a disciplined and quality attacking side in Racing.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
