First place, along with a spot in the last 16, will be at stake when Internacional host Independiente Medellin on Wednesday from Estadio Beira-Rio in the final group fixture for each side at the 2023 Copa Libertadores.
A 1-0 away victory versus Metropolitanos put the Colombians on top of the group with 10 points, one more than Colorado, who conceded late at Nacional the last time out in a 1-1 draw.
Match preview
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After five matches in this competition, Internacional have been missing that killer instinct which could have assured them of a spot in the knockout stage, squandering four points from winning positions in the second half.
Mano Menezes's men are in an interesting position as a result, as they are just a single point above Nacional in third, meaning that a victory in this encounter is the only thing that would guarantee them a place in the last 16.
The club from Porto Alegre have plenty of recent experience which they can draw upon heading into this pivotal encounter, having qualified for the knockout stage in each of their Libertadores appearances over the past dozen years, making it into the last 16 by a single point in 2020 and 2021.
Clube do Povo have only suffered one home defeat versus a Colombian opponent in the group stage of this competition when they were shut out 1-0 by Atletico Nacional over 30 years ago in 1993.
It has also been a long time since this club had failed to make the knockout portion of this tournament, finishing third in the 2007 group stage, as they wound up a point behind the same Uruguayan side that are currently chasing them for a spot in the next round.
Internacional have been tough to beat on their home field, claiming a win or draw in five straight group fixtures at Estadio Beira-Rio in this competition, a run which goes back to 2020.
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For the first time since the 2004-05 tournament, Independiente Medellin can book a place in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores with a win or draw on matchday six.
Should El Poderoso de la Montana be able to achieve that result, it would mark the first time that two Colombian sides had made it beyond the group portion of this competition since 2015, while a win or draw for Medellin plus a victory by Deportivo Pereira would mean three teams from the Categoria Primera A will have made it into the last 16 for the first time since 2005.
2005 was the last time this team made it into the last 16 at the Copa Libertadores, and the six-time Colombian league champions have already claimed four more points this time around than in their previous appearance in 2020.
Caretaker boss Sebastian Botero has struggled to keep his side consistent since taking over for David Gonzalez in May, going unbeaten in his opening five matches at the helm but only winning one of his last six matches in all competitions.
El Decano have never beaten Internacional on their home field, with the Colombians only claiming one victory on Brazilian soil in this competition, blanking Athletico Paranaense 4-0 at the 2005 group stage.
Independiente Medellin have lost four of their five road fixtures under Botero, though they walked away with an away victory in their previous Libertadores clash, the first for them as the visiting team since claiming a 3-2 triumph domestically at Atletico Huila on April 25.
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Team News
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Gabriel missed the weekend fixture for Internacional against America Mineiro due to a sore ACL, Mauricio has a shoulder strain, while Carlos de Pena and Charles Aranguiz were sidelined on Sunday with thigh injuries.
Alan Patrick has two goals for them so far in this competition, including the opener at Nacional, while their only home victory in the group stage this year came when a 91st-minute strike by Alemao enabled them to defeat Metropolitanos 1-0 on matchday two as Keiller only had to make one save for the clean sheet.
Wanderson and Johnny Cardoso have three and two goals respectively for this team domestically but have yet to find the back of the net in this tournament, with the Belgian striker and Romulo each scoring in their previous competitive home victory which they won 2-1 over Vasco da Gama, while Jean Dias and Alemao both netted in their 2-1 come-from-behind victory at America Mineiro on Sunday.
There were four newcomers in the Medellin opening lineup from matchday four to five as Jhon Palacios, Jordy Monroy, Andres Ricaurte and Miguel Monsalve replaced Jonathan Marulanda, Andres Cadavid, Daniel Torres and Diber Cambindo.
Emerson Batalla, who came on for Andres Ibarguen against Metropolitanos, netted shortly after the interval of that encounter, while Andres Mosquera shut the door after that in their matchday five triumph.
Luciano Pons has four goals at the 2023 Copa Libertadores, two in the group stage, while Victor Moreno had their only strike in a 1-1 draw versus Internacional on matchday one.
Internacional possible starting lineup:
Keiller; Bustos, Vitao, Mercado, Rene; Cardoso, Campanharo; Mauricio, Patrick, Wanderson; Adriano
Independiente Medellin possible starting lineup:
Mosquera; Monroy, Palacios, Moreno, Londono; Torres, Alvarado; Cetre, Monsalve, Ibarguen; Pons
We say: Internacional 1-0 Independiente Medellin
The Brazilians should feel comfortable knowing that this match is on their home field, where they seem to show much more poise and precision.
As for Independiente Medellin, they have been too unpredictable lately, and the fact that their opponents have been in this position a couple of times recently and got the job done has us leaning towards the home team to claim all three points.
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