It is a clash of the top-two sides in Group C of the Copa Sudamericana when Estudiantes host Bragantino at Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi on Wednesday evening.

Both sides have already secured their passage into the knockout stages of the competitions and will be looking to preserve their unbeaten statuses in this one.

Match preview

Luciano Lollo celebrates scoring for Estudiantes on August 11, 2022 © Reuters

Estudiantes extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 matches last time out with a 5-2 thumping of Barracas Central on home soil in Argentina's Primera Division.

Brian Calderara put the visitors ahead in the third minute, but by the 76th minute Estudiantes had scored five times, with the likes of Guido Carrillo and Luciano Lollo getting on the scoresheet.

Matches on the continent have been going swimmingly for Eduardo Dominguez's men also - the team are currently second in Group C of the Sudamericana, having collected 10 points from their opening four contests.

A notable point on Estudiantes' record is that they are yet to concede a goal in this year's competition - a feat only Sao Paulo can match in any of the sections.

Bragantino may not have a squeaky-clean defensive record - the Brazilians have allowed one goal so far - yet they have already secured their passage into the next stage after earning 10 points to date.

The visitors come into this clash off the back of their first defeat in any form since April, with strikes from Paulo Ganso and Felipe Melo earning Fluminense the win over Pedro Caixinha's men last time out.

Youngster Thiago Borbas has been a standout performer for the Brazilians in Serie A this season - the 21-year-old Uruguayan has netted four goals in just seven appearances.

Having netted an impressive 13 goals in their quartet of fixtures so far, the Brazilians only trail counterparts Fortaleza (15) in the goalscoring metrics in the entire competition.

Estudiantes Copa Sudamericana form:

Estudiantes form (all competitions):

Bragantino Copa Sudamericana form:

Bragantino form (all competitions):

Team News

Estudiantes will be without the services of midfielder Pablo Piatti until December, with the 34-year-old suffering a cruciate ligament injury during April.

The aforementioned Carrillo will be pushing for a start for the hosts after scoring off the bench last time out, with veteran Mauro Boselli potentially dropping to the bench to make room.

Bragantino's medical room is close to being overwhelmed ahead of a midweek trip to Argentina, with the likes of Ignacio Laquintana sidelined until August with a broken ankle.

Leo Ortiz will hopefully be back in action sooner than this teammate - the 27-year-old is continuing his recovery from a knee injury suffered in the loss at Flamengo in October.

Estudiantes possible starting lineup:
Andujar; Godoy, Lollo, Romero, Benedetti; Ascacibar, Rodriquez, Zuqui; Rollheiser, Sosa; Carrillo

Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Schwengber; Hurtado, Realpe, Patrick, Capixaba; Evangelista, Fernandes, Ramires; Junio, Sasha, Vitnho

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We say: Estudiantes 2-0 Bragantino

Estudiantes come into this clash in sincillating form and should be confident of all but securing top spot in the group with a win on Wednesday evening.

Bragantino face a tough trip to Argentina, and we believe they will suffer back-to-back defeats for the first time since February to relinquish their first-placed standing in Group C.

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Top tip

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