The Copa Libertadores holders travel to Buenos Aires to face the winners of the Copa Sudamericana, with both teams looking to lift the trophy for the first time.

Match preview

Defensa y Justicia players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Copa Sudamericana in January 2021 © Reuters

Defensa y Justicia claimed their first major piece of silverware in January when they won the Copa Sudamericana, beating fellow Argentinian outfit Lanus 3-0 in the final.

The Hawks only established themselves as a top division side in 2014 and since then have gradually improved, becoming one of the strongest sides in Argentina.

Their league form this campaign, however, has been inconsistent as they have won three and lost three of their opening eight matches and as a result sit sixth in Group B of the Primera Division, two points behind the top four.

Defensa lost 2-1 away to Argentinian giants Boca Juniors last weekend. Despite Walter Bou giving the Hawks the lead, goals from former West Ham United pair Carlos Tevez and Mauro Zarate secured all three points for the hosts.

Sebastian Beccacece, who replaced Hernan Crespo as head coach in February, will be aware that his side face another difficult challenge on Wednesday but has belief that his players can take a positive result into the second leg next week.

Palmeiras' Felipe Melo and teammates celebrate with the trophy after winning the Copa do Brasil on March 7, 2021 © Reuters

Palmeiras celebrated the treble in 2020, not only lifting their second Copa Libertadores trophy, but also winning the Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Paulista.

The Palestra Alviverde also came fourth in the FIFA Club World Cup, losing to Egyptian side Al Ahly in the third-place playoff.

However, they will be hoping to improve their league form this campaign, after finishing in seventh place last season, 13 points behind champions Flamengo.

Palmeiras are known as one of the most successful Brazilian football clubs in history and claiming more silverware in 2021 is at the top of their wishlist once again.

Since the Recopa Sudamericana was formed in 1989, Palmeiras have surprisingly never played in the competition before, but head coach Abel Ferreira will believe that his squad have a great chance of adding another trophy to their cabinet this month.

Defensa y Justicia form (all competitions):

Palmeiras form (all competitions):

Team News

Palmeiras midfielder Gabriel Menino in action on March 7, 2021 © Reuters

Defensa used a 3-4-2-1 formation in the loss to Boca Juniors last weekend and they could stick with the same system on Wednesday.

One of Marcelo Benitez or Emanuel Britez is expected to start at left-wing back, while attacking midfielder Tomas Martinez could come into the side at the expense of Carlos Rotoni.

Striker Bou, who has scored five goals in eight appearances in 2021, is set to lead the line in attack.

For Palmeiras, goalkeeper Weverton was shown a straight red card in the draw against Sao Bento last week and so will miss the first leg, with Vinicius Silvestre expected to start.

Midfielder Gabriel Menino suffered an ankle injury in the same game, which could see Patrick de Paula drop deeper and play alongside Danilo dos Santos.

Lucas Esteves, who played as a left winger against Sao Bento, could revert to his natural position of left-back, which would see Matias Vina drop to the bench.

Defensa y Justicia possible starting lineup:
Unsain; Rodriguez, Frias, Meza; Breitenbruch, Larralde, Loaiza, Benitez; Martinez, Pizzini; Bou

Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Silvestre; Mayke, Gomez, Renan, Esteves; Danilo, De Paula; Rony, Lima, Scarpa; Elias

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We say: Defensa y Justicia 0-1 Palmeiras

Both Defensa y Justicia and Palmeiras will be keen to ensure that they keep this tie alive and avoiding defeat would give both sides confidence heading into the second leg next week.

This first-leg encounter is set to be a cagey affair, but we can see the visitors securing a narrow victory at the Estadio Norberto Tomaghello.

Top tip

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Defensa y Justicia win with a probability of 43.07%. A win for Palmeiras had a probability of 30.87% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Defensa y Justicia win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.56%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.9%) and 2-0 (7.58%). The likeliest Palmeiras win was 0-1 (8.64%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.39%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood.