Copa Libertadores: Libertad x Nacional, Match Preview, Team News, Odds and Predictions(31/05/2024)

Club Libertad's Copa Libertadores campaign will conclude on Thursday in Asuncion at Estadio Tigo La Huerta against Nacional.

The Paraguayans were formally eliminated from this tournament on matchday five after losing 2-0 to River Plate, although Decano's 1-0 win against Deportivo Tachira guaranteed them a spot in the elimination round.

Libertad x Nacional Team News

Hector Villalba, who is healing from cruciate ligament damage, is Libertad's only injury worry going into this game.

Galeano changed his starting 11 twice between matchdays four and five, replacing Ivan Piris and Rodrigo Villalba with Ivan Ramirez and Ivan Franco.

A muscular problem kept Thiago Helguera out of action on matchday five, while Renzo Sanchez is still out with cruciate ligament damage.

Gonzalo Carneiro scored his team-leading second and third goals of the league to help the Uruguayans overcome a 2-0 deficit and secure a solitary point against River Plate earlier this month.

Head To Head And Previous Matches

With only four points after five matchdays, Repollero's Libertad adventure will conclude at the group stage for the second straight season.

Even although their stint at this competition is coming to an end, Ariel Galeano's team is in a strong position to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana; should they lose, they only need to win by one point or Deportivo Tachira by less than five goals.

With a win on Thursday, the seven-time Libertadores group phase winners from Paraguay would equal their point total from that competition.

Libertad has won its past two home games at Estadio Tigo La Huerta by a combined score of 9-1, and three of its four points in the group stage have come at home.

They have won three straight domestic games since losing to River Plate on matchday five, giving up only one goal in the process.

They have won three of their four Libertadores games against Uruguayan opponents at home, most recently (2-1) against Penarol.

This year, Nacional has advanced to the final 16 of the competition for the second time in a row thanks to some strong home performances, having won seven points in Montevideo.

For the first time since 2020, River Plate must lose their game against Deportivo Tachira, and Alvaro Recoba's team must win this one by at least five goals.

Bolsilludo have improved defensively significantly since their 2-0 loss at River Plate on matchday two. They have won four straight-away games in all competitions and have not conceded in their last two.

Since they were either ahead or tied at the break in all ten of their previous ten games, Nacional has won every Libertadores encounter since then.

Should they win game five, they will have 13 points, which would be their highest group phase performance since 2020 (15).

They have won three of their five Libertadores matches against Libertad, although their only win in Paraguay came in 1968 when the two teams played at Defensores del Chaco (2-0).

Our Predictions

Nacional to win @ 3.70 on Sky247.ng

With their recent string of strong Copa Libertadores performances, Nacional is the overwhelming favorite to win against Libertad. After three victories, one tie, and one loss, they are second in Group H and go to the next round. They go to Libertad, which is third in the same group and has lost three of their five Copa Libertadores games this season.

Going into this one, Libertad had won its past ten home games. Conversely, Nacional has been strong away from home recently, winning its last four games in all competitions.

Since Nacional is the side in form and full of confidence, we are projecting a narrow 1-0 away victory for them based on our form and recent outcomes analysis.

Under 2.5 goals @1.68 on Sky247.ng

Although Libertad would have to work very hard to lose out on the Sudamericana, National is already assured a place in the knockout round.

With nothing to play for, we expect this to be a tight match between two teams that don't want to risk losing a crucial player to injury. We believe there will be few goals.

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