First place, along with a spot in the last 16, will be at stake when Internacional host Independiente Medellin on Wednesday from Estadio Beira-Rio in the final group fixture for each side at the 2023 Copa Libertadores.

A 1-0 away victory versus Metropolitanos put the Colombians on top of the group with 10 points, one more than Colorado, who conceded late at Nacional the last time out in a 1-1 draw.

Match preview

After five matches in this competition, Internacional have been missing that killer instinct which could have assured them of a spot in the knockout stage, squandering four points from winning positions in the second half.

Mano Menezes's men are in an interesting position as a result, as they are just a single point above Nacional in third, meaning that a victory in this encounter is the only thing that would guarantee them a place in the last 16.

The club from Porto Alegre have plenty of recent experience which they can draw upon heading into this pivotal encounter, having qualified for the knockout stage in each of their Libertadores appearances over the past dozen years, making it into the last 16 by a single point in 2020 and 2021.

Clube do Povo have only suffered one home defeat versus a Colombian opponent in the group stage of this competition when they were shut out 1-0 by Atletico Nacional over 30 years ago in 1993.

It has also been a long time since this club had failed to make the knockout portion of this tournament, finishing third in the 2007 group stage, as they wound up a point behind the same Uruguayan side that are currently chasing them for a spot in the next round.

Internacional have been tough to beat on their home field, claiming a win or draw in five straight group fixtures at Estadio Beira-Rio in this competition, a run which goes back to 2020.

For the first time since the 2004-05 tournament, Independiente Medellin can book a place in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores with a win or draw on matchday six.

Should El Poderoso de la Montana be able to achieve that result, it would mark the first time that two Colombian sides had made it beyond the group portion of this competition since 2015, while a win or draw for Medellin plus a victory by Deportivo Pereira would mean three teams from the Categoria Primera A will have made it into the last 16 for the first time since 2005.

2005 was the last time this team made it into the last 16 at the Copa Libertadores, and the six-time Colombian league champions have already claimed four more points this time around than in their previous appearance in 2020.

Caretaker boss Sebastian Botero has struggled to keep his side consistent since taking over for David Gonzalez in May, going unbeaten in his opening five matches at the helm but only winning one of his last six matches in all competitions.

El Decano have never beaten Internacional on their home field, with the Colombians only claiming one victory on Brazilian soil in this competition, blanking Athletico Paranaense 4-0 at the 2005 group stage.

Independiente Medellin have lost four of their five road fixtures under Botero, though they walked away with an away victory in their previous Libertadores clash, the first for them as the visiting team since claiming a 3-2 triumph domestically at Atletico Huila on April 25.