- Fluminense, who have never lost at home in a knockout stage, host Palmeiras at the Maracanã, with the visitors playing their 13th semifinal.
- The first leg will be played at the Maracanã this Wednesday, October 14, with the second leg on Wednesday, October 21 in São Paulo.
A Brazilian clash the tournament barely knows. Fluminense and Palmeiras have met only twice in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, in the 1971 group stage, and the away side won both times: the 'Flu' won 2-0 in São Paulo, on their very first appearance in the tournament, and the 'Verdão' replied with a 3-1 win at the Maracanã. Fifty-five years later they meet again at the same stadium, in a tie that guarantees Brazil a place in the final. The final will be played on Saturday, November 28 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
The 'Tricolor' arrive with a strength that runs through their history: they have never lost at home in a CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout stage, with 15 wins and five draws in 20 matches. Nor have they tasted defeat in the semifinals: they have played four matches at this stage, winning two and drawing two, and both times, in 2008 and 2023, they reached the final. Marcão's side knocked out Platense 3-2 on aggregate: they won 2-0 in Rio de Janeiro with goals from Nonato and Hulk, and in Vicente López, when trailing 2-0, found the goal from Agustín Canobbio 12 minutes into the second half that settled the tie. Hulk was involved in all three of their goals over the two legs and Fábio, who has played every minute of the campaign, preserved the result at the end.
Fluminense in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Results, Squad and Schedule
Palmeiras are playing their 13th semifinal, more than any other Brazilian club, and the sixth of the Abel Ferreira era. To get here they had to come through a tie decided on the finest of margins against Liga de Quito: they won 1-0 in São Paulo with a goal from Agustín Giay, were 2-1 up in Ecuador thanks to goals from Marlon Freitas and Vitor Roque, and two stoppage-time goals from Michael Estrada sent the tie to penalties. That was when Carlos Miguel stepped up, saving two spot kicks for a 4-3 shootout win. José Manuel López, with three goals and four assists, is the team's top scorer and top assist provider in this edition, and Jhon Arias, also with three goals, faces the club with which he was crowned champion of America in 2023.
The tie brings together two ways of attacking. Fluminense have the player with the most line-breaking passes in the final third since the start of the group stage, Lucho Acosta, with 23, and the one with the most runs in behind the defenders, Canobbio, with 75. Palmeiras respond with Arias, involved in 59 sequences ending in a shot, the second-highest figure in the tournament, and with a record that backs them away from home: they have taken points from six of their last nine away matches against Brazilian sides in the competition. The 'Flu', with the highest average age among the semifinalists, rely on experience and the Maracanã; the 'Verdão', on extending an era in which they have already won the title twice.
Palmeiras in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: Results, Squad and Schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro
Date and time: Wednesday, October 14 at 9:30 PM
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
VAR: Silvio Trucco (ARG)
The match in numbers:
Palmeiras and Fluminense have met twice in the CONMEBOL Libertadores and each won their away match when they faced each other in the 1971 group stage. The Verdão won 3-1 at the Maracanã with goals from César Maluco, Héctor Silva and Pio, while Samarone scored for the Tricolor.
Fluminense are playing their third CONMEBOL Libertadores semifinal. The Tricolor are unbeaten in the four matches they have played at this stage (2W 2D), scoring at least two goals per game and always advancing to the final (2008 and 2023).
Palmeiras are playing their 13th CONMEBOL Libertadores semifinal; no other Brazilian team has taken part in more than 10. Three of those ties were against Brazilian opponents, eliminating Corinthians in 2000 and Atlético Mineiro in 2021, but falling to Athletico Paranaense in 2022.
Fluminense have never lost a home match in a CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout stage: 15 wins and 5 draws in 20 games. Five of those were against Brazilian opponents (4W 1D).
Fluminense have the highest average age of starting lineups among the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores semifinalists (30 years and 353 days) and the third highest among all teams, behind Santa Fe (31y 261d) and Bolívar (31y 148d). In their last three matches in the tournament, the Flu's starting lineups averaged more than 33 years.
Jhon Arias (Palmeiras) has been involved in 59 sequences ending in shots (excluding set pieces) in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores: 24 shots, 18 chances created and 17 involvements in the build-up. It is the second-highest figure in the competition, behind the 60 of Jordy Alcívar (Independiente del Valle).
Since the start of the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage, the player with the most line-breaking passes in the final third is Fluminense's Lucho Acosta (23). However, the two players with the most passes breaking the defensive line are from Palmeiras: Marlon Freitas (18) and 'Flaco' López (14).
'Flaco' López is Palmeiras' top scorer (3, level with Jhon Arias) and top assist provider (4) in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores. In fact, he is one of only two players with 3+ goals and 3+ assists in the competition, alongside Sebastián Villa (3G 3A).
Agustín Canobbio (Fluminense) is the player with the most runs in behind the defensive line in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores, with 75, eight more than Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro).
Fluminense vs. Palmeiras Kit:
