Flamengo vs Emelec Predictions

Thursday’s Copa Libertadores round of 16, second leg action sees Brazilians Flamengo doing battle with Ecuadorians Emelec at the Maracana. The hosts have it all to do, after falling to a shock 2-0 defeat in last week’s first leg between the two.

It’s fair to say Flamengo had a terrible time in Guayaquil last week. They travelled looking to assert their authority on a tie they were expected to win comfortably but instead enraged fans with a poor performance, with the night made all the worse by attacking midfielder Diego suffering a broken ankle.

Now Flamengo’s mission is clear; to mount a comeback on home soil and make up for their lacklustre showing in Ecuador. Though 2-0 is a big margin to overcome, Flamengo certainly have the firepower to do so and having won 10 of their last 11 home matches whilst scoring an average of 2.63 goals a game, confidence can still be high in booking a place in the quarter final.

Meanwhile, after only just making it out of their group, Emelec were expected to lose this tie comfortably but have now given themselves every chance of advancing after making their home advantage count. The side were impressive in the first leg, showing a clinical edge in attack and restricting Flamengo pretty well from a defensive viewpoint.

Nonetheless, El Bombillo will know the job is far from over and will travel to Rio looking to defend their lead at all costs. On paper, the visitors are a far weaker outfit than Flamengo in all areas of the pitch, so they still face a big ask as regards seeing their advantage through and having lost 9 of their last 10 Libertadores away games in Brazil, you do have to worry for them.

Ultimately, this is a tie we view as being far from over and Flamengo cannot be considered out of it just yet. If anyone can come back from such a significant margin of defeat, it’s them, with their firepower unquestionable and the envy of most in South America.

All things considered, we like the look of backing Flamengo on the -1 handicap and that looks the best way to play as far as the betting is concerned. With a huge crowd behind them, Flamengo are likely to pin Emelec back throughout the game and we think they’ll be able to force penalties via a 2-0 margin of victory..