Racing Club and Cruzeiro meet at General Pablo Rojas in Asuncion for the CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana final on Saturday. The Argentines fought back to edge Corinthians 4-3 on aggregate in the semifinals while the Brazilians narrowly overcame Lanus 1-0 to advance 2-1 over two legs.
Racing Club will make their first appearance at a continental final since the 1989 Recopa Sudamericana which they lost 1-0 to Nacional of Uruguay. Gustavo Costas's men are in good form with five consecutive wins across all competitions and a win here would bring a first CONMEBOL title since the 1967 Copa Libertadores.
The last Argentine side to win the Copa Sudamericana was Defensa y Justicia back in 2020 while Racing have not lost to Brazilian opponents at home this edition. However, Cruzeiro overcame Lanus in Buenos Aires to get here and could put that record to the test.
Fernando Diniz has never lost in a CONMEBOL final at club level with Fluminense winning the Copa Libertadores one year ago and the 2024 Recopa Sudamericana. Cruzeiro, though, have lost two of their last three games across all competitions.
With only one goal conceded in six away Sudamericana games, a 1-0 loss to Boca Juniors in the round of 16 is their only loss on the road. Brazilian sides have lost the last two Sudamericana finals with Athletico Paranaense the last to buck that trend in 2021 and Cruzeiro 's last continental success came in 1997's Copa Libertadores.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, November 23 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio General Pablo Rojas - Asuncion, Paraguay
- Watch: beIN Sports | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Racing +138; Draw +206; Cruzeiro +208
How they got here
Racing topped Group H with five wins from six and just one loss for the top seeding before demolishing Chile's Huachipato 8-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. Then it was overcoming Brazil's Athletico Paranaense 4-2 over two legs in the quarterfinals before edging Corinthians 4-3 in the semifinals to get here. Cruzeiro topped Group B with three wins and three draws from six for the seventh of eight seeded berths before needing penalties to oust Boca Juniors in the round of 16 after a 2-2 draw over two legs. A 3-1 win over Paraguay's Libertad in the quarterfinals followed before the 2-1 triumph against Lanus in the semifinals which booked this date.
Team news
Racing: Roger Martinez and Santiago Solari came in last time out but are unlikely to start ahead of Maximiliano Salas and the tournament's joint-top goal scorer Adrian Martinez here. Juan Fernando Quintero's brace advanced them this far and he should also start just behind the front two.
Possible Racing XI: Arias; Martirena, Di Cesare, Garcia Basso, Rojas; Almendra, Sosa, Nardoni; Quintero, A. Martinez, Salas.
Cruzeiro: Rafa Silva is injured and likely to miss out while Gabriel Veron, Matheus Pereira and Kaio Jorge are eligible despite domestic suspension last weekend. Jorge was the semifinal hero while Cassio kept his second clean sheet of the competition to get here and both will also start.
Possible Cruzeiro XI: Cassio; William, Marcelo, Villalba, Xavier; Romero, Walace; Veron, Pereira, Diaz; Jorge.
Prediction
It should be tight but something has to give so do not be surprised if Racing nick it by a goal despite Cruzeiro's solid defense. Pick: Racing 2, Cruzeiro 1.
