- The 'Flu' have gone through in four of the last five CONMEBOL Libertadores ties they decided away from home.
- They need a win at the Nubank Parque, and they have beaten Palmeiras in São Paulo in the competition before: 2-0 at the Pacaembu in the 1971 Group Stage.
Fluminense travel to São Paulo with a clear equation. They lost the first leg 2-1 at the Maracanã and, on Wednesday at the Nubank Parque, they need a win to keep dreaming of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Final in Montevideo. It is not a new scenario for Marcão's side: according to Opta, they have gone through in four of the last five ties they decided away from home. Five questions to understand what they bring.
How have they fared in their recent away second legs?
The five ties produced two wins, one draw, two defeats and just one elimination. The first two belong to the 2023 title run. In the Quarterfinals they beat Olimpia 3-1 in Asunción, with one goal from John Kennedy and two from Germán Cano.
In the second leg of the Semifinal, at the Beira-Rio, they turned the match around against Internacional with goals from John Kennedy, 36' into the second half, and Cano, 42' into the second half: a six-minute comeback on the way to the club's first CONMEBOL Libertadores title. The exception came in 2024: after a 1-0 win at the Maracanã in the Quarterfinals, Atlético Mineiro beat them 2-0 at the Arena MRV, with two goals from Deyverson.
And in this edition?
The other two came in 2026, and neither was straightforward. In the Round of 16, after a 0-0 draw in Rio de Janeiro, Kevin Serna put Fluminense ahead in Mendoza even though they were down to ten men following Agustín Canobbio's sending-off 12' into the second half, but Independiente Rivadavia equalized through an Álex Arce penalty 45+7' into the second half and took the tie to a shootout. That is when Fábio stepped up: he saved Florentín's attempt and, in sudden death, Rodrigo Atencio's, to seal a 5-4 win.
In the Quarterfinals, the 2-0 lead from the Maracanã against Platense had vanished by half-time in Vicente López, until Hulk led a counterattack and set up Canobbio, who scored 12' into the second half to make it 3-2 on aggregate. That night sums up another feature of the campaign: the 'Flu' have yet to win away from home in this edition, with three draws and two defeats, but they came through both ties they closed out away from Rio.
Have they ever beaten Palmeiras in São Paulo?
Yes, once. Fluminense and Palmeiras had met twice in the CONMEBOL Libertadores before this Semifinal, both times in the 1971 Group Stage, and the away side won on both occasions: Palmeiras won 3-1 at the Maracanã and the 'Flu' responded with a 2-0 win at the Pacaembu on January 29 that year, with two first-half goals from Flávio.
It is one of Fluminense's two wins in their eight away matches against Brazilian teams in the tournament. The other was precisely the one at the Beira-Rio in 2023, a 2-1 win over Internacional in the second leg of the Semifinals. Waiting for them is a stadium that carries weight: Palmeiras have won or drawn 21 of their 23 knockout matches at the Nubank Parque and have never lost there to a Brazilian opponent, with one win and five draws.
What did the first leg leave them with?
Arguments with the ball and a tie still open. In the match at the Maracanã, Fluminense had 70.2% of possession and 192 successful passes in the final third, the highest figure for a team in a Semifinal or Final of the competition since 2013. They lacked a cutting edge, with three shots on target from 11 attempts, but 45+3' into the second half Wesley Natã pulled one back with a header and left everything to play for. At 18 years and 179 days, he became the youngest player to score in a CONMEBOL Libertadores Semifinal or Final this century.
What are they saying in the squad?
"We know it's a 180-minute tie. The first 90 have gone. It's not the result we wanted, but Wesley's goal keeps us alive to go to São Paulo next week and come back with qualification," Hulk said after the first leg.
Thiago Silva turned his attention to the venue: "I don't like playing on artificial turf, but Palmeiras are the least to blame for that," he said, adding: "It's a different pitch from the usual one, much faster, but we hope to have a great game".
And Marcão, on Sunday, after the defeat to Santos in the Brasileirão, set out the goal: "We are going to face a great team, who will have an extra day of rest – Palmeiras played on Saturday – and we are fully aware that we are going there to look for the win and our qualification for our fans". In Mendoza and Vicente López, the 'Flu' have already shown they know how to close out ties away from home. On Wednesday, they need another night like that.
