San Lorenzo and Liverpool lock horns at the Estadio Pedro Bidegain on Friday, with both sides needing a victory to boost their hopes of reaching the Copa Libertadores knockout stages.
A 2-0 home win against Independiente del Valle saw the Argentines leapfrog their Friday opponents into third place in Group F with four points, while the Uruguayans slumped to the bottom of the table after a 5-0 defeat to group leaders Palmeiras.
Match preview
San Lorenzo's start to the campaign was sluggish, with two defeats and a draw in their opening three fixtures. However, they finally secured their first win of the competition on matchday four, reigniting their qualification hopes.
This victory propelled them level on points with second-placed Independiente del Valle, but they only hold onto third having scored fewer goals even though they have a similar goal difference.
Victory over Liverpool on Friday would put the Saints in a strong position heading into the final group stage match, as Independiente del Valle travel to face group leaders Palmeiras.
However, the Argentine side come into this match on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Deportivo Riestra in the Primera Division, highlighting their inconsistency this season.
San Lorenzo will need to avoid a repeat performance when they face their Friday opposition in just the second meeting between the two sides. The reverse fixture ended 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
Similar to the hosts, Liverpool require maximum points from this fixture to enhance their chances of progressing to the knockout stages.
However, the 2023 Uruguayan Primera Division champions have struggled in the competition so far, scoring only three goals and conceding nine in four group stage matches.
The Negriazules are also enduring a tough domestic campaign, currently sitting seventh in the league and having only managed three wins in twelve Primera Division matches.
Liverpool's sole victory in the Copa Libertadores came against San Lorenzo on home soil. They have only played one away game so far, which resulted in a 3-1 defeat to Palmeiras.
After finishing bottom of their group in last season's Copa Libertadores, Emiliano Alfaro will be hoping to avoid another last-placed finish, which would see them eliminated from continental football altogether. A third-place finish would see them drop into CONMEBOL's secondary competition, the Copa Sudamericana.
Team News
San Lorenzo will remain without Manuel Insaurralde and Gaston Hernandez, who are both ruled out until November due to ACL injuries.
Goalkeeper Facundo Altamirano has a hamstring issue and is sidelined, while Jhohan Romana is also out as he is suspended for the red card in the win over Independiente del Valle.
Carlos Sanchez and Nicolas Hernandez are in contention to replace Romana in central defence for Friday's clash.
For Liverpool, right-back Facundo Perdomo has a cruciate ligament issue that kept him out since December and he remains sidelined.
Luciano Rodriguez, who has scored one goal in the current Copa Libertadores campaign, is expected in attack alongside Matias Ocampo who is yet to open his account in the competition.
San Lorenzo possible starting lineup:
Altamirano; Melli, Hernandez, Campi, Braida; Perruzzi, Irala; Giay, Medina, Barrios; Bareiro
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Guruceaga; Rosso, Santos, Martinez, Amaro, Cayetano; Barrios, Lemos, Garcia; Ocampo, Rodriguez
We say: San Lorenzo 1-0 Liverpool
This affair is setting up to be a close one as both sides are level on points and have struggled to find the net. However, home advantage could tip the scale for San Lorenzo here as Liverpool did not perform well in their only away game so far.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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