Libertad vs Alianza Lima

Since any loss will send them home, Alianza Lima will go to Estadio Tigo La Huerta on Tuesday to try and finish third in their group by playing against Club Libertad.

Even with the late equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Sao Paulo, Paraguayans are guaranteed to play on in the last 16. Alianza have dropped below Talleres into third place in the group and miss out on a Copa Sudamericana berth due to losing 2-0 to the Argentines last time.

Libertad reached the knockout round for the first time in three years after finishing the group stage on eight points.

They had just 10 days until the second leg against Sao Paulo, when a win could have seen both teams tied with one loss each.

At this stage, Contacto de Quito can hope for the top spot, only if they win, Sao Paulo lose and Contacto score at least five more than Sao Paulo.

Recently, Libertad has not lost at home in any competition for three games, but they did lose 2-0 to Sao Paulo when they last played in the Libertadores in Asuncion.

Paraguay has scored the first goal in three of its five Libertadores fixtures so far this year, never being beaten in those games and losing just one.

In their five Alianza meetings so far, Gumarelo won four of them, with a 1-0 victory in Peru last month.

Lima will once again finish the group stage in this tournament, though they still have a last chance to do better before moving to the Libertadores.

Nestor Gorosito’s squad has a chance to secure a place in the Copa Sudamericana for the first time since the 2016-17 season. They’ll need a better result than Talleres or a two-goal advantage in their favor to make it happen.

The 25-time Peruvian Primera Division champions are in strong form, having won their last two league matches while conceding just one goal in each. A win or draw on Tuesday would see them finish with their highest group-stage points tally in this competition since 2010 (12).

However, Alianza has struggled when trailing at halftime in this year’s group stage—they’ve failed to win any of their three matches when behind after 45 minutes. Their sole victory came when they led at the break, a thrilling 3-2 win over Talleres.

Their record on Paraguayan soil in this tournament is also a concern, with only two wins to their name. The most recent was a 2-1 victory during their last trip to Asunción in 2023.