River Plate finished the group stage in the second spot following a 2-2 home draw with Internacional from Brazil at home. Since then, they collected two victories, one draw and two defeats in official competitions. Their last game was a week ago when they advanced to the Copa Argentina’s round-of-16 by beating second-tier side Gimnasia Mendoza on penalties after a 1-1 draw. River is on five matches unbeaten at their own stadium, having won four and drawn the aforementioned game with Internacional.
Meanwhile, Cruzeiro won the Group B in spite of having lost 2-1 to Emelec from Ecuador at home in May. A Raposa is going through difficult times: the team are sitting in 16th in the Brazilian league table, just one point above the relegation zone. Last Saturday, they drew 0-0 at Bahia with an alternative XI, which means Cruzeiro are on three winless games in all competitions (two draws, one defeat). On away turf, they haven’t claimed any victories in the last eight matches, earning only three points in that span.
Both teams are far from their best version, River won’t have striker Ignacio Scocco and attacking midfielder Juanfer Quintero due to injuries, while their best scorer Lucas Pratto will be on the bench because he is not 100% either. I expect a tight match with the Brazilians slowing the game down so they can get something for next week’s 2nd leg at home.