- 'La Lepra Mendocina' will decide at home a tie left scoreless at the Maracanã, with the dream of reaching the quarterfinals in their first-ever international appearance.
- Fluminense bank on the pedigree of Hulk and Thiago Silva to win in Mendoza and avoid a decider from the penalty spot.
'La Lepra Mendocina' host Fluminense with the tie still scoreless after the 0-0 at the Maracanã, a result that reaffirmed a trend: the Mendoza side remain unbeaten against the 'Tricolor' in 2026, after the historic 2-1 win in Rio in April and the 1-1 draw in the Group Stage in Mendoza.
In the first leg, Fluminense owned the ball but couldn't find a way to hurt their opponents: territorial dominance never translated into clear chances and Ezequiel Bolcato enjoyed a night without major scares. The clearest opportunity belonged to the visitors from Mendoza: a Matías Fernández free kick that traveled across the box and crashed off the crossbar early in the second half, with Ezequiel Bonifacio also a threat on quick breaks.
Fluminense in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026: results, squad and schedule
Alfredo Berti's team arrive at this decider with the credentials of a dream campaign: they won Group C ahead of Fluminense themselves and closed the first phase as one of the tournament's best group winners, in their first-ever international appearance. The second leg at the Malvinas Argentinas is the chance to crown that story with a place in the quarterfinals.
Across the field, a Fluminense side that will no longer have Luis Zubeldía on the bench, but that still banks on its pedigree: the signing of Hulk and the return of Thiago Silva head a squad that knows what it takes to fight at this stage, though the present demands answers. The 'Flu' arrive needing to win away from home to avoid depending on penalties.
Tie level at 0-0: any win means qualification and another draw will send the decider to penalties. The winner will face the victor of Coquimbo Unido-Platense in the quarterfinals.
Independiente Rivadavia in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza
Date and time: Tuesday, August 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Referee: Andrés Rojas (COL)
VAR: Leonard Mosquera (COL)
Match facts:
- Independiente Rivadavia remain unbeaten in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 (P7, W5 D2). The only Argentine team to go unbeaten through their first eight matches in the competition was River, in 1966 (P9, W8 D1).
- This will be the first time Fluminense play the second leg of a knockout tie in Argentina in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. The 'Tricolor' avoided defeat in seven of their last nine visits to Argentine opponents in the competition (W4 D3 L2).
- Eight players have featured in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 aged 40 or older. Three of them started for Fluminense in the first leg against Independiente Rivadavia: Fábio (45y 315d), Thiago Silva (41y 323d) and Hulk (40y 17d).
- Álex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia) is the top scorer of the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 with eight goals. The striker has 18 goals in 24 career matches in CONMEBOL competitions. He will face Fluminense for the sixth time, the opponent he has played most often, with three goals in the five previous meetings.
- Martinelli is the player with the most appearances for Fluminense in CONMEBOL Libertadores history (35). In the first leg against Independiente Rivadavia, he recorded the most touches of the ball in a single match of his career in the competition (117).
