Rosario Central will welcome Fortaleza to Estadio Gigante de Arroyito for the first leg of their round-of-16 tie in the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday night.
The hosts overcame Internacional 2-1 on aggregate in the last round while the visitors secured automatic qualification to the last 16 by finishing top of Group D.
Match preview
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After a disappointing Copa Libertadores campaign, in which they finished third in their group with seven points in six games, Rosario Central dropped to this competition and needed to get past Internacional to keep their continental cup ambitions alive.
Following a 1-0 home win in the first leg, Canalla took an early lead at Arena Castelao a week later thanks to an Agustin Sandez goal, and held on to see off their opponents, who pulled a goal back early in the second half.
However, following that result, Rosario suffered consecutive league defeats to Huracan and Union, which saw them drop into the bottom half of the Liga Profesional standings, and also marked the end for Miguel Angel Russo, who was axed after the second loss.
Matias Lequi has now taken on the role of caretaker manager, and under his guidance Canalla have won their their last two matches, both by a scoreline of 1-0 against Gimnasia La Plata and Newell's Old Boys.
Despite the difficulties they faced in the Copa Libertadores, Rosario won two of their three home games, as well as their round of 32 fixture on home soil in this competition, and they are the bookmakers' favourite in this one.
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Meanwhile, after a fairly poor 2023 season, which saw them miss out on Copa Libertadores qualification due to their 10th-place finish in Brasileiro, Fortaleza have been much better this term.
Leao do Pici are currently on a three-match league winning streak and unbeaten in their last eight top-flight matches, which has taken them to second place in the Brasileiro standings, just one point behind leaders Botafogo.
However, Juan Pablo Vojvoda's side's good performances have not been confined to just the domestic competition, as they secured the top spot in their group in this competition as well, posting a record of four wins, one draw and one loss in their six games to finish two points ahead of Boca Juniors.
During the group stage, Fortaleza split their away games one win, one draw and one loss, though they are currently unbeaten in their last three on the road in all competitions, and have lost just one of their last five.
The visitors have never faced this opponent in a competitive match in the past but will know that a positive result here will be crucial to carry back home for the second leg next week.
Team News
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Rosario Central have just one confirmed injury absentee for this match in the form of Agustin Bravo, who sustained a cruciate ligament tear in April and could miss the remainder of the season.
Agustin Modica was Canalla's top scorer in the Copa Libertadores and netted four goals in their final four group-stage matches, but he was dropped to the bench for the side's last three games and will be hoping to return to the starting 11 in midweek.
For Fortaleza, Juan Martin Lucero picked up a muscle injury in their 1-1 draw against Criciuma at the end of July and he is still a few weeks away from a return. Renato Kayzer and Breno Lopes are the most likely to lead the line in his absence.
Calebe has now missed 13 matches in all competitions due to a hamstring injury and will play no part in this week's match, while Eros Mancuso and Tinga are flagged as doubts owing to adductor and calf injuries respectively.
Rosario Central possible starting lineup:
Broun; Coronel, Mallo, Quintana, Sandez; Gomez, Martinez, Ibarra, Giaccone; Campaz, Ruben
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Ricardo; Britez, Titi, Kuscevic, Pacheco; Augusto, Sasha, Rossetto; Lopes, Marinho, Kayzer
We say: Rosario Central 1-1 Fortaleza
Rosario experienced a significant dip in form over the last few months but they have shown improvement under caretaker manager Matias Lequi, who is yet to taste defeat in his new role.
However, Fortaleza have been rock solid for the majority of this season, both domestically and in this competition, and we feel they will keep this tie level heading into their home leg next week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
