- The 'Timão' will decide at the Neo Química Arena a tie left 0-0 at the Gigante de Arroyito, with their defensive solidity and set pieces as weapons.
- Rosario Central travel with Ángel Di María as their emblem and the certainty of having dominated a first leg in which their opponents finished with ten men.
The tie of the impenetrable defenses will be settled in São Paulo. Corinthians and Rosario Central drew goalless at the Gigante de Arroyito, in a first leg where 'El Canalla' dominated and the 'Timão' resisted with craft, even finishing with ten men after Allan's sending-off for a second yellow card in the 35th minute of the second half.
The numbers from the match in Rosario were eloquent: 57% home possession, 16 shots and 12 corners, with a second half of siege (10 shots to 1). But the clearest chance was Brazilian: a Matheus Bidu header that grazed the goal before the break. The solidity of Fernando Diniz's team preserved the clean sheet and moved the decider to their home.
Corinthians in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026: results, squad and schedule
Corinthians head into the second leg backed by a solid campaign and with the Neo Química Arena as their fortress, in a tie steeped in history: this reunion arrived 26 years after their continental clashes of the late nineties.
Rosario Central, with Ángel Di María as the emblem of this campaign, travel to São Paulo with the frustration of not having turned their dominance into a lead and the certainty that the team can compete on equal terms. For 'El Canalla', the task is to repeat the Arroyito performance with efficiency: the tie is intact and one goal away.
Tie level at 0-0: any win means qualification and another draw will send the decider to penalties.
Rosario Central in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Neo Química Arena, São Paulo
Date and time: Thursday, August 20 at 9:30 p.m.
Referee: Alexis Herrera (VEN)
VAR: Nicolás Gallo (COL)
Match facts:
- Corinthians progressed in eight of the nine ties in which they avoided defeat in an away first leg in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. The only exception was the 2016 round of 16, when they drew 0-0 away and 2-2 at home against Nacional, going out on away goals.
- Argentine teams have taken points in nine of their 12 visits to Corinthians in the CONMEBOL Libertadores (W5 D4 L3), but one of the 'Timão''s wins came in their only previous meeting with Rosario Central (3-2 in the 2000 round of 16).
- Rosario Central won two of their three away matches in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 (L1). 'El Canalla''s record for away wins in a single edition of the competition is three, in 2016 — precisely when they claimed their only away win over a Brazilian team: 1-0 vs Grêmio in the round of 16.
- Corinthians' two center-backs led the last round of the CONMEBOL Libertadores in clearances: 15 by Gabriel Paulista and 13 by Gustavo Henrique. Rosario Central delivered 42 crosses in the first leg (17 by Di María, 15 by Campaz), the second-highest figure by 'El Canalla' in a match in the competition since records began (2013), behind only the 44 against Caracas in 2024.
- Five of Corinthians' last six home goals in the CONMEBOL Libertadores came from set pieces (three from corners, two from indirect free kicks). Center-back Gustavo Henrique scored two goals and provided two assists on those plays.
