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Santos vs Independiente Predictions

  • 22:30
  • Expired
  • Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho
Santos
Independiente

odds when tipped

odds when tipped

Santos vs Independiente Predictions

Tuesday’s Copa Libertadores round of 16, second leg action sees Brazilians Santos doing battle with Argentines Independiente. The hosts will be looking to record victory in front of the home crowd but doing so may not be enough to see them advance.

That’s because this tie, alongside several others, has descended into chaos after Santos fielded Uruguayan midfielder Carlos Sanchez in the first leg. Sanchez was still carrying a suspension to fulfil after being sent off in the Libertadores for old club River Plate and whilst Santos claimed they were not notified of said fact, competition organiser CONMEBOL is likely to hand them a 3-0 defeat in place of the 0-0 draw they claimed in Buenos Aires a couple of weeks ago.

At the time of writing, less than 24 hours before kick-off, no decision has yet been made on the matter and as such, all Santos can do is focus on winning Tuesday’s match, something they can be relatively confident in doing given their recent form. Peixe have suffered a miserable campaign for much of the year but manager Cuca now looks to be getting more out of his squad after winning 3 of the last 4 games, including 3-0 and 2-0 home victories over Sport Recife and Bahia , which leaves hopes high ahead of this clash.

Meanwhile, Independiente will be desperately hoping they are awarded the victory they couldn’t pick up on the pitch, as they were below par and frustrated by Santos on their own patch. El Rojo are aiming to claim what would be an eighth Libertadores crown this year, after winning the Copa Sudamericana last season but their chances of advancing to the quarter-final do rest largely on the decision CONMEBOL come to.

Whether Independiente take to the pitch 3-0 up or tied 0-0, they’ll do so in fresh condition after Ariel Holan made numerous changes for a 1-0 domestic defeat at home to Defensa y Justicia last time out. That loss was a continuation of some worrying recent performances but with focus fully on continental action, it doesn’t rank as a particularly hurtful one.

Ultimately, in either of the aforementioned scenarios, Santos will arrive highly motivated and we like the look of them securing victory. Confidence is as high in home ranks as it has been at any stage of the year and the side are finally playing football that matches fans’ lofty expectations.

Independiente have not scored in either of their last two outings and have now not won in 3 and with a cauldron like Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho awaiting them, they look to have their work cut out. Santos have won 6 of their last 8 Copa Libertadore home games and that’s a sequence we can see being built upon, with a 1-0 margin of home victory on the cards.

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