In the early hours of Thursday, Argentinian teams Velez Sarsfield and River Plate clash in the first leg of the last 16 in the Copa Libertadores.
The home side head into this clash knowing that history is against them when it comes to advancing past the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores. Last year they suffered a last-16 exit from the competition at the hands of Barcelona SC. However, before that, the Argentinian side had not made it past its current stage since 2012.
Velez Sarsfield finished second in Group C but endured an inconsistent group campaign, winning two, drawing two and losing two of their games. In the end, they only just held off Uruguay’s Nacional for a place in the competition's knockout stages.
Victories over Nacional and Estudiantes in their final two group games sealed their place in the knockout stages after they had failed to win any of their opening four group games.
Unlike their hosts, River Plate sailed through the group stages. The visitors recorded five wins and one draw in a group containing Fortaleza, Colo Colo and Alianza Lima.
Marcelo Gallardo’s team were prolific in the group stages, scoring 18 goals while conceding just three at the other end of the pitch. One of the most talked-about moments during the group stage was soon-to-be Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez scoring six goals in a 8-1 demolition of Alianza Lima.
While many may focus on the visitor's attacking exploits, their tally of three goals conceded is the joint-best in this season’s Copa Libertadores.
Forebet predicts that River Plate will record a victory in a low-scoring encounter, which would still leave the tie relatively balanced, heading into next week’s second leg.