Colon needs to win at home in order to avoid penalties on Tuesday following a 0-0 away draw with River Plate at Estadio Centenario in Uruguay a week ago. Given that the team has not seen domestic action over the last month, El Sabalero succumbed to a single defeat in their last five competitive matches, winning two and drawing two. They also played seven home matches in 2019, registering two victories, four stalemates and a single loss (1-0 to Banfield in February).
After overcoming Santos from Brazil in the first stage, River Plate has a good opportunity to advance to the round-of-16 after keeping a clean sheet against Colon as hosts last Tuesday. If they managed to score, another draw would allow them to go forward in the Copa Sudamericana. Coach Jorge Giordano fielded an alternative XI on Saturday when El Darsenero lost 4-1 away at Juventud. That means they remain sitting in the penultimate spot of the Uruguayan league table on 13 points in 14 rounds. River claimed a single success in their last nine games (three draws, five defeats) and they are winless in the last 13 away games, earning only four points in that spell.
Colon is not in their best form but River’s away record is just terrible with no wins since September 2018 and I think the Argentinean side should have enough to win at home and advance.