Corinthians vs Liverpool Montevideo

Neo Quimica Arena is the venue as Copa Libertadores underachievers Corinthians and Liverpool Montevideo battle it out for a place in the Copa Sudamericana knockout playoffs.

Corinthians’ Copa Libertadores campaign was off to a flying start as they thumped Liverpool 3-0 in a curtain-raising Group E fixture. But they’ve since gone winless in all four remaining group matches (D1, L3), losing any chance of reaching the knockout stages ahead of the final matchday. Moreover, their hopes of switching to the Copa Sudamericana knockout playoff round are in limbo as they head into this encounter level on points with bottom-placed Liverpool. Avoiding defeat would suffice given they boast a superior H2H record, yet after losing both home games in Group E via a single-goal margin, they cannot take anything for granted. However, since they’re unbeaten in their last five competitive home outings (W2, D3), Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s men ought to take the field in high spirits.

In the meantime, anything less than three points will curtail Liverpool Montevideo’s continental journey following a dreadful run of three defeats from their five Group E matches (W1, D1). The visitors have lost both previous away group games after failing to score before halftime, highlighting the size of the task ahead. Indeed, scoring has been a problem for the Uruguayan outfit, as they’ve netted under 1.5 goals in all but one Group E fixture and have yet to get on the scoresheet before the break. By contrast, Jorge Bava’s men have won back-to-back league contests in the build-up to this trip by an aggregate score of 6-1, netting precisely three goals on both occasions. Worryingly, though, they’ve only managed two wins across their last 11 competitive travels (D4, L5).