On August 19, 2021, the second round of South American Cup will be played between Paraguayan Liga 1 team Liberty and Brazilian Liga 1 team Santos.
Club Libertad
Club Libertad is a veteran of the Paraguayan first division and a regular in the South American competition, the team is currently playing in both cup and league.
In the South American Cup, Libertad knocked out Barranquilla Youth in two rounds to advance to the last 8. Then Libertad lost 1-2 against this opponent Santos. Although at a disadvantage in terms of promotion, the good thing is that there is one away goal, which gives the team a chance to see a comeback.
In the league, the team has 4 draws and 1 loss after 5 rounds of the new league season, and is winless so far in the season.
In Liberty’s last league match against Odubalay, the team dominated the field, with 69% possession, 14 shots and 5 shots on goal, more than twice as many as the opponent. After falling behind on the scoreboard, the team took the lead thanks to goals from Blaska Serras, Franco and Cardoso.
But unfortunately, the game went into extra time and was brought back by the opponent, and the two sides finally shook hands in a 3-3 draw. The team has not won 3 matches in a row and is in mediocre form.
Santos
Santos is a strong team in Brazil’s first division, and was eliminated from the Copa Libertadores to the South American Cup this season.
In the round of 16, the team defeated Independiente Argentino 2-1 in two rounds to reach the last 8. The team took the lead in the first round of the last 8, but defender K. Melo also received a red card in the game and will be suspended for the match.
Santos has a mediocre performance in the league this season, with only 5 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses in 16 rounds of league play, and is currently 10th in the league with 21 points.
Santos has recently gained 3 unbeaten games and its form has slightly improved. In the last league match, the team played away to Fortaleza, which is currently in the top of the league. The team played well on the field, with 53% possession, 8 shots and 2 shots on goal. After falling behind, Sanchez scored a goal to reverse the deficit and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
It is worth noting that the team also substituted some of its main players in the second half, which was also a preparation for this match.
Comprehensive Analysis
In the first round of the South American Cup, Santos took the lead with 2-1 in the first round match between the two teams. As for the recent situation, Club Libertad has not won in 3 consecutive matches and the team is in a slump. Santos, on the other hand, is slightly better than its opponent, remaining unbeaten in 3 consecutive matches, and its form is quite stable.
From the current attitude of all parties, they do not give support to Libertad, which is in desperate need of a turnaround, so Santos is still expected to succeed in the semi-finals.
Prediction one：Santos +1.25@1.336
Prediction two：Total under 3 @1.5
