It is, of course, not possible to win the Copa Libertadores in the group phase. But it is possible to lose it. Ask Buenos Aires giants River Plate. This Wednesday they host Fluminense of Brazil, the team which (joint with Racing of Argentina) have the best record so far of any team in this year’s competition. And it is almost certainly the case that anything but a victory will mean that, with a game still to spare, River Plate will be eliminated.
This would have a huge effect on this year’s competition. The Libertadores is in grave danger of becoming an exclusive preserve of Brazil. The last four winners have been Brazilian, the last three finals have been all-Brazilian affairs. River Plate are possibly the best chance of ending the monopoly. They won the title in 2018, were seconds away from retaining it in 2019 and came agonisingly close to reaching the final in 2020. Their recently remodelled stadium has the biggest capacity in South America, and, now coached by Martin Demichelis, they sit comfortably at the top of the Argentine first division.
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And yet they lie at the bottom of their Libertadores group and will need to dig deep to save themselves. How, then, have they got themselves into so much trouble in the continental competition? Partly the order of their fixtures has been unkind. In the four rounds played so far River have already fulfilled all three of their away games. More specifically, theirs is a dangerous group. True, Sporting Cristal of Peru are unlikely to make progress. Ten years have gone by since a Peruvian side made it to the knockout phase. But also there are Fluminense, whose free flowing football has led to many — including Demichelis and fellow Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli labelling them as the best team in South America.
