River Plate vs Santa Fe: where to watch and lineups in the Sudamericana

River Plate and Santa Fe face off this Wednesday, the 26th, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16. The match takes place at the Mâs Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires and decides who advances to the quarterfinals, besides revealing Vasco da Gama's future opponent.

Second leg decides qualification

The duel is worth a direct spot in the quarterfinals of the continental competition. After a scoreless draw in the first match, held in Colombia, whoever wins in regulation time advances. In case of another tie, qualification will be decided on penalties. In the first leg, at the El Campín stadium in Bogotá, the teams finished 0-0.

Teams' chances in the matchup

Despite the equal scoreline, Santa Fe created the best opportunities in the first game. The Colombian team finished the match with nine shots to River's three and even hit the crossbar twice. On the other hand, River Plate comes into the decisive home game looking for a recovery in the season. The Argentine team is undefeated in the tournament, with four wins and three draws in seven games.

Recent performance of the teams

River Plate occupies the bottom positions of Zone B in the Clausura Tournament. The team coached by Eduardo Coudet will have the returns of Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, and Sebastián Driussi among the starters. On the other side, Santa Fe is also looking to return to winning ways. Pablo Repetto's team drew goalless with América de Cali in their last match and comes into the clash without scoring in two games.

Impact on Vasco's schedule

The result sets the scenario for Vasco da Gama in the Sudamericana quarterfinals. If Santa Fe advances, the Rio de Janeiro club will play the second leg in Brazil. If River Plate qualifies, the Argentine side will have the right to decide the matchup in Buenos Aires. The quarterfinal first legs are scheduled to take place between September 8 and 10.

Recent history in the competition

River Plate has not yet lost at the Monumental in this edition of the Sudamericana. There have been two wins and a draw in three matches, with five goals scored and only one conceded. Champions of the Sudamericana in 2014, the club seeks a return to the quarters. Santa Fe was the 2015 Sudamericana champion and remains to this day the only Colombian club to win the tournament.

Other matchups decided

Besides Vasco's future rival, three other quarterfinal matchups are already set. Boca Juniors faces São Paulo, Santos plays against Atlético-MG, and Cienciano plays Montevideo City Torque. With Vasco, São Paulo, Santos, and Atlético-MG qualified, Brazil occupies four of the eight spots in this phase. The return matches will be held between September 15 and 17.

With information from Estadão, VEJA.