RIO DE JANEIRO, November 3, 2017 – Tomorrow Saturday, the curtain will fall on the activities of the 64th edition of the prestigious Copa Libertadores football tournament, with a new exciting clash between Argentine football and the Brazilian rival for the championship title.
Argentina’s Boca Juniors will take on Brazil’s Fluminense tomorrow at the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The two teams are vying for the Championship trophy and the final spot at the Club World Cup, to be held in Saudi Arabia next month.
This season, Boca Juniors broke the Brazilian teams’ monopoly on finals berths in the past three seasons. Two finalists in these seasons finals were Brazilian teams, before Boca Juniors appeared in the finals this season.
Boca Juniors were the last non-Brazilian team to appear in the finals of the 2019 edition when they lost to Flamengo, ending Brazil’s hold on the title and hoping to return the Libertadores trophy to Argentina for the first time. The 2018 edition, in which River Plate notably won the title at the expense of Boca Juniors, was an all-Argentine final of the tournament.
Boca Juniors are appearing in the finals of the tournament for the twelfth time in their history, having won the title 6 times before and coming second in 5 editions. The team is currently looking for a record-tying seventh title. Match wins registered in Independiente under the Argentinian name with 7 titles.
Fluminense, on the other hand, is competing in the finals for the second time in its history, the first time since finishing second in the 2008 edition, and dreams of winning the title for the first time in history and retaining the Brasilia continental title. For the fifth consecutive season, taking advantage of the tournament taking place in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite the huge difference between the two teams’ track record in the competition and their history of achievements, the statistics indicate that their scores in their previous clashes in the Copa Libertadores have been mostly level, suggesting that tomorrow’s clash between them will not be easy. All.
The two teams have met in the previous 3 editions of the tournament, first in the semi-finals in the 2008 edition, a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Argentina and Fluminense coming back 3-1 at home, but lost. Final of the competition.
The 2012 edition saw both teams meet in the group stage. Fluminense beat Boca Juniors 2–1 in the first leg and then drew with them 0–2 in the second leg in Brazil. The third clash was in the quarter-finals of the same edition, and Boca Juniors won 1-0. Both teams drew 1-1 in the first leg at home and in the second leg in Brazil.
As Boca Juniors topped their group in the first round with 13 points from 6 matches, the road to tomorrow’s final will not be easy for both teams. Romero.
Boca Juniors won three playoff rounds on penalties against Uruguay’s Nacional, Argentina’s Racing and Brazil’s Palmeiras, moving the team one step away from winning their seventh title in the competition and their first since 2007.
Fluminense topped its group with 10 points after a one-goal deficit against River Plate of Argentina in the first round, but it progressed to the knockout round, beating Argentina’s Argentinos Juniors 3–1 in each round. Round of 16, followed by a 5-1 win over Olimpia from Paraguay. In the quarter-finals the Brazilian international 4-3 in the semi-finals.