Flamengo vs River Plate Predictions

Saturday’s long awaited Copa Libertadores final sees Brazilians Flamengo doing battle with Argentines River Plate at the Estadio Monumental in Lima. Plenty of action is expected to be in order as both sides fight for the right to be crowned kings of South America.

It’s certainly been quite the year for Flamengo and they find themselves on the brink of domestic and continental glory. The side all but have the Serie A title wrapped up following an excellent campaign and having advanced from a group containing San Jose, LDU Quito and Penarol prior to dispatching of Emelec, Internacional and Gremio to reach this final, they’ve looked just as strong on the continental stage.

Having won just one Copa Libertadores title, back in 1981, Saturday’s game is a huge one for Jorge Jesus’ troops but unbeaten in a staggering 25 straight matches across all competitions, they go into it supremely confident. Going up against River will be a tough game for the Brazilians but the fact they’ve scored in 14 consecutive games and plundered in a huge average of 2.28 goals a game in the process certainly suggests they have the firepower to hurt them.

Meanwhile, River Plate find themselves back where they were last year; on the cusp of lifting the Libertadores title. Los Millonarios saw off arch rivals Boca Juniors to win the trophy last season and travel to Peru desperate to retain it and win the competition for a third time under boss Marcelo Gallardo, who would put the cherry on the cake of his eternal legacy at the club with victory.

Having advanced from a group containing Alianza Lima, Palestino and Internacional prior to seeing off Cruzeiro, Cerro Porteno and Boca, River have handled the pressure of big matches once again this year and that does have them coming into game in confident mood. Also 4th in the Superliga Argentina, despite their continental distraction, River are clearly an extremely powerful outfit that have everything needed to go blow for blow with Flamengo.

Ultimately, we’re expecting this to be a fantastic watch and it looks set to be the best Libertadores final in years. The two sides are undoubtedly the strongest on the continent and with attacking quality stacked on both sides, it’s hard to envisage it being anything but a highly entertaining affair.

All things considered, it’s backing the Both Teams to Score line that has captured our attention and provides good value as far as the betting is concerned. Both teams play with extremely attacking styles and given the rate at which they score goals, it’s hard to picture either keeping a clean sheet. Both teams have scored in 4 of Flamengo’s last 6 games and that’s a trend that could well continue, with a 1-1 draw appearing well on the cards in the 90 minutes.