Newell's Old Boys will be looking to overturn a first-leg deficit when they face Corinthians in the second leg of the round of 16 in the Copa Sudamericana at Estadio Marcelo Alberto Bielsa on Wednesday.
The Brazilians currently lead the tie by one goal after securing a 2-1 win last week, and if they are able to hold on to their lead, they will likely face Estudiantes in the quarter-final, who currently lead Goias 3-0 after the first leg.
Match preview
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Gabriel Heinze looked a frustrated figure last week after watching his side give up a 1-0 lead at Corinthians Arena following Marcos Portillo's opener on the stroke of half time in the first leg.
That result pretty much sums up how it has gone for the Argentine side this season, following a 14th-placed finish in the first phase of the domestic league season, where they ended 11 points behind the top five teams.
Newell's Old Boys are now winless in their last four matches, having failed to win any of their final three games in the first phase of the league while only managing one victory in their last 10 matches in all competitions, along with six draws and three losses.
However, while they have been stuttering for most of the season, Heinze's side have been difficult to beat on their home patch, losing just once in their 13 league matches while managing the fourth-highest goal tally in the league of 24.
Meanwhile, despite claiming the victory in the first leg, Corinthians were far from convincing and were outplayed for large parts of the match, with their opponents recording almost twice as many attempts on goal as they managed.
The Brazilian outfit secured a fourth-placed finish last season, which was the highest they have ended in a league season since they won the Brazilian Serie A back in the 2017 campaign.
It has been a completely different story in this campaign up to this point as they find themselves way down in 14th place with just 20 points after 18 matches and four points behind the Copa Sudamericana qualification places.
However, after winning just one of their first six league matches this season, Vanderlei Luxemburgo's side have started to find their rhythm in recent weeks and are now unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions, including seven wins and two draws.
They will come into this match as the favourites according to most bookmakers but will know that this tie is far from over, with their opponents likely to throw everything they have into attack in this one.
Team News
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Heinze will have to make do without the services of Bruno Pitton (forearm fracture), Pablo Perez (hamstring strain) and Fabian Angel (knee injury) for this encounter.
Francisco Gonzalez is a longer-term absentee with a cruciate ligament rupture and is likely to remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Luxemburgo has two long-term injury absentees in the form of Gustavo Mosquito and Paulinho, with both players out since last season with ruptured knee ligaments.
Adding to the casualty list are Matias Rojas (foot), Gabriel Moscardo (appendicitis) and Gustavo Silva (ACL injury), with all three only expected back in late August.
Newell's Old Boys possible starting lineup:
Hoyos; Velazquez, Ortiz, Zahir; Mosquera, Martino; Ferreira, Gomez, Sforza, Portillo; Recalde
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Fagner, Mendez, Murillo, Bidu; Oliveira, Barberan, Araujo; Biro, Alberto, Adson
We say: Newell's Old Boys 1-1 Corinthians
While Corinthians did manage to secure a crucial home win in the first leg, they were far from convincing and could find themselves in a very closely-contested battle in this one.
We expect the Argentine side to find the net at least once in the match, but the visitors should make it through to the next round, albeit by a very slender margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
