Making their second successive appearance in the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana, Corinthians host Racing Club in the opening leg of that tie on Thursday at Arena Corinthians.
At the quarter-final stage, the Sao Paulo-based club eliminated last year's finalists, Fortaleza, 5-0 on aggregate, while El Primer Grande ousted Athletico Paranaense by an aggregate score of 4-2.
Match preview
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After barely squeaking past Bragantino in the round of 16, Corinthians left no doubt in their quarter-final tie, winning both matches decisively.
Ramon Diaz's men enter this contest on a three-match unbeaten run across all competitions, playing to a 0-0 draw in the opening leg of their semi-final tie with Flamengo in the Copa do Brasil on Sunday.
Corinthians have won four of their five home fixtures at the Sudamericana this year, failing to concede a single goal in any of those triumphs.
This will be their third appearance in the semi-finals of this tournament, with Timao seeking their first-ever victory at this stage.
All seven of their victories at the Sudamericana this season have occurred when Corinthians have netted multiple times, while they have only been shut out once in the competition this year (1-0 loss versus Argentinos Juniors).
Time do Povo have never beaten Racing Club in this competition in normal time, but they were able to knock them out of the Sudamericana in 2019 on penalties.
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Down by a goal after the opening leg of their quarter-final tie, the Racing attack came to life at home once again, leading by three at the interval and managing to advance with a comfortable win.
Gustavo Costas's men have been simply dominant at home in this competition, winning all of their encounters so far while outscoring their five opponents by a combined margin of 14-2.
They have lost two of their previous three fixtures away from home, failing to find the back of the net in the 2024 tournament for the first time in their previous road game (1-0 loss to Athletico Paranaense).
Thursday will be their first-ever appearance in the semi-finals of the Sudamericana, with Racing earning at least a point in three of their previous four matches across all competitions.
At the Copa Sudamericana this year, they have a 100% record when scoring first, while they have not claimed a single point when conceding the opener.
La Academia have only claimed one victory at the Sudamericana on Brazilian soil, coming back to defeat Cuiaba 2-1 in the 2022 group phase.
Team News
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Because of an ACL injury, Corinthians are unlikely to have Ruan Oliveira available for this encounter, while Diego Palacios is questionable with a knee issue and Ryan is expected to sit out due to a sore ankle.
Goals from Angel Romero, Igor Coronado and Pedro Henrique were more than enough to see off Fortaleza in the second leg of that tie as Hugo Souza made four stops to collect another clean sheet.
For Racing Club, Marco Di Cesare may be a few weeks away from returning from a muscle injury along with Roger Martinez, who has a sprained ankle.
Agustin Almendra got the ball rolling for them in their second leg against Athletico, putting them in front in the opening minute, with Gaston Martirena and Roger Martinez also scoring, while Adrian Martinez netted his ninth of the Sudamericana this year, as he leads the Golden Boot standings.
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Souza; Matheuzinho, Ramalho, Torres, Hugo; Carrillo, J. Martinez, Garro; Coronado; Depay, Romero
Racing Club possible starting lineup:
Arias; Di Cesare, Sosa, Quiros; Martirena, Zuculini, Almendra, Carbonero; Quintero; A. Martinez, Vietto
We say: Corinthians 1-1 Racing Club
The four previous times these teams have met at the Sudamericana, it ended in a draw after 90 minutes, and though we expect Corinthians will be the more desperate side, we believe Racing will have an answer.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
