Lanus will host LDU Quito at the Estadio Ciudad de Lanus - Nestor Diaz Perez on Thursday for the second leg of their Copa Sudamericana round of 16 tie.
The hosts hold a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium last week and will be looking to secure their place in the quarter-finals on home soil.
Match preview
After topping Group G in the Copa Sudamericana with four wins and a draw in six matches, Lanus secured automatic qualification for the round of 16.
The Argentine side carried this momentum into the first leg against Ecuadorian outfit LDU Quito, securing a comeback victory to put one foot into the next round of this competition.
Lanus are no strangers to Copa Sudamericana success, having lifted the trophy in 2013. However, their domestic form has been inconsistent, with the team currently 10th in the Argentine Primera Division.
Ricardo Zielinski's side are winless in their last two league matches – losing one and drawing the other – and have only one victory in their past three games across all competitions.
Nevertheless, Lanus boast a four-match unbeaten home record with three wins and one draw, and will aim to extend this run against Thursday's visitors.
LDU Quito, two-time winners of the Sudamericana, dropped down from the Copa Libertadores and had to overcome Bolivian side Always Ready in a playoff to reach the round of 16.
The Ecuadorians secured a 4-3 aggregate victory, winning 3-0 in the second leg to overturn a 3-1 defeat from the first leg, and will be looking for another comeback to keep their hopes alive.
Despite a 1-1 draw in their previous meeting with Lanus in the 2009 Sudamericana, LDU Quito arrive in confident mood after a 1-0 victory over Aucas in the Ecuadorian Serie A where they currently have a perfect record since the start of the second round.
Since their defeat by Always Ready on July 26, Quito have drawn one and won the last two of their subsequent three away matches across all competitions, which could give them the confidence needed to overturn the tie on Thursday.
Team News
Lanus will be without several players who missed the first leg, including Bruno Cabrera (ankle), Raul Loaiza (hamstring) and Leandro Diaz (muscle), who all remain sidelined.
Experienced striker Favio Alvarez, 21-year-old forward Braian Aguirre and loan midfielder Ramiro Carrera are all out with muscle injuries.
Walter Bou has scored six goals in this year's Copa Sudamericana campaign and is one to watch on Thursday.
LDU Quito will go into this match without any injury or suspension concerns, leaving Sanchez with a large squad to choose from.
However, all eyes will be on Alex Arce, who is in excellent form, having scored in each of the last four matches, including the first leg.
Lanus possible starting lineup:
Losada; Soler, Munoz,Dominguez, Caceres; Aquino, Acosta, Moreno, Perez, Salvio; Bou
LDU Quito possible starting lineup:
Valle; Quinteros, Ade, Mina, Quinonez; Julio, Cornejo, Piovi, Estupinan; Alzugaray; Arce
We say: Lanus 2-1 LDU Quito (Lanus advances 4-2 on aggregate)
Lanus picked up an important victory on the road in the first leg, which sets them up well to take advantage of LDU Quito's need to attack, while they will also be boosted by home support, which could prove too much for the visitors to handle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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