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With the completion of the Libertadores group stage, Conmebol draws this Friday, at 12:00 hours, the clashes of the round of 16. The first matches will be in the week of November 24 and 25. The return, the following week, December 1 and 2.
Of the seven Brazilian clubs that reached the group stage, six survived. Four passed first: Palmeiras, Santos, Flamengo and Grêmio. Second, Atlético and Internacional advanced. São Paulo was the only one who stayed on the road and will play the South American Championship. Corinthians had already lost in the preliminary phase.
Among the Argentines, the main rivals of the Brazilians in the fight for the title, River and Boca confirmed their strength. Racing passed in second place, but it also played a good role.
The main zebra in the knockout was Delfín, who took the traditional Olimpia and another Argentine, Defense and Justice.
The giveaway is simple. Teams in Pot 1 face off against Pot 2, without any restrictions in relation to countries. Whoever qualified first decides the home game.
Participation in the round of 16 means another R $ 5.89 million in the club’s coffers.
JAR 1
Palms
Despite the instability at Brasileirão, they finished with the best campaign in the group stage, with 16 points. Five wins and a draw, against Guarani-PAR. Palmeiras had the second best attack of the group stage, with 17 goals. The defense also leaked little: only twice. The problem is that, with the resignation of Vanderlei Luxembourg, the team is still looking for a coach.
Saints
Tensions off the field soared in the Libertadores. Despite five wins with a tight score – none with more than one goal difference – they closed the group stage with the second-best campaign. The only draw was at home, with Olimpia eliminated.
Flamengo
The current champion classified with some tranquility in the face of the storm that rose after taking Independiente Del Valle 5 to 0. In addition to overcoming the Covid outbreak in Ecuador, the team is on the rise with Domènec Torrent. Even without some starters, he has done well in the last few games. It remains to be seen how many will be healthy in the round of 16.
National-URU
The first place in the group came tight, in the last round, thanks to the difference of one goal difference with Racing. He has been playing well. He won three of the four games after a break due to the pandemic.
Silver river
The current runner-up had the best attack of the group stage, thanks to the win over Binacional (8-0 and 6-0). It was the first of the keys that São Paulo had. The only defeat was a pre-pandemic, for LDU, at the height of Quito. He maintains the organization under the baton of Marcello Gallardo and tends to evolve even more physically with the rhythm of the competitions.
Boca Juniors
Although it wasn’t that bright, it moved first. As he only scored one goal, he finished the group stage with the best defense. The two draws in six games do not mean fragility, since the team is used to the last 16 of the Libertadores and always takes work.
Guild
To pass first in the group that the International rival had is already a “moral title”. Renato Gaúcho’s team likes knockout tournaments, but needs to be vigilant because this instability can be expensive. The guilds advanced with only eleven points: three wins, two draws and one defeat. It is worth remembering that the team is in the middle of the Brasileirão table.
Jorge Wilstermann
He ended up as the leader of the group that Athletico had. The seed was the amazing Peñarol. The Bolivian team did not shine as much, but embraced the leadership in the last round, taking advantage of the defeat of the Brazilian team. It brought out the best of balance. The altitude of Cochabamba is 2,500m.
JAR 2
Careers
The best in seconds. Organized, dangerous team, but Zaracho lost to Atlético-MG. He won the last three Libertadores games, but saw the first place disappear on goal difference.
Guarani-pair
He advanced with leftovers in the group that Palmeiras had. He had consistent performances and has not lost since the competition resumed. At home, he held the Palmeiras.
LDU
It is not one of the best teams, but the height of Quito is always an ally. In the group stage, River Plate and São Paulo made victims. This increases the degree of difficulty in a knockout game.
Independent of the Valley
It bears the signature of the work of Miguel Ángel Ramírez, who rejected Palmeiras on behalf of the project with the Ecuadorians. He beat Flamengo at home at the peak of the season, but hesitated against Junior Barranquilla. He is organized, he has played a beautiful role in continental tournaments in recent years: the South American won in 2019.
Athletic
Live a bad time, despite the classification. In the Brasileirão, he is in the relegation zone. He fired a technician and rehired Paulo Autuori. In the Libertadores the first place of the group was lost in the last round due to the defeat against Peñarol.
International
He had the opportunity to pass first, but took the turn of the Universidad Católica de Chile. In the end, he went through goal difference. Divide the attention between Brasileirão and Libertadores. The two-win, two-draw, two-loss campaign symbolizes Colorado’s average performance in the competition.
Freedom
It incredibly confirmed the classification. He advanced because he lost relatively little. The 4-2 loss to Independiente de Medellín left the Paraguayan team with better goal difference than Caracas, which defeated Boca 3-0 in the decisive round. In four games after the pandemic stoppage, he won none.
Dolphin
It is the great surprise of the knockout stages of the Libertadores. He had everything to be a punching bag in the group, but he had two wins in the last two rounds. The dolphin came out dressed as a zebra. He has the worst attack among qualifiers, with six goals. It is the team that, in theory, everyone wants to get.
