- Santos, at the Vila Belmiro, will look to unleash its full attacking power in the opening leg of the Round of 16 series.
- Surprise package Macará will want to stay on the good path that carried it into the knockout stage.
'Peixe' head into the first leg of their Round of 16 tie full of confidence. They scored eight goals across their two Playoff matches, with every member of their attacking unit making an impact and underlining both the depth and potential available to Cuca. Santos also boast a perfect record in previous Round of 16 ties against Ecuadorian opposition in CONMEBOL competitions, having eliminated Liga de Quito in the 2004 and 2020 CONMEBOL Libertadores.
Santos in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026: results, squad and schedule
Surprise package Macará, winners of Group A, travel to Vila Belmiro looking to preserve their unbeaten record in the current CONMEBOL Sudamericana. Driven by their own growing belief, the Ambato side know they have enough weapons to challenge an opponent with major pedigree and history on the continental stage. Guillermo Sanguinetti's team have spent only 45 minutes trailing throughout the entire competition.
Macará in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Urbano Caldeira (Vila Belmiro), Santos.
Kick-off: Thursday, August 13 - 7:00 p.m. (local time).
Referee: Kevin Ortega (PER).
VAR: Joel Alarcón (PER).
Match facts:
- Santos have won both Round of 16 ties they have played against Ecuadorian opposition in CONMEBOL competitions, both against Liga de Quito in the Libertadores (2004 and 2020).
- Macará remain unbeaten in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 (3 wins, 4 draws). The Ambato side have conceded only three goals so far, giving them the ninth-lowest goals-conceded average per match (0.43) by any team in a single edition of the competition among those to have played at least seven matches that season.
- Santos recorded the most elaborate attacks — defined as moves featuring more than 10 passes before the shot — during the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 Group Stage, with 18, although none resulted in a goal for 'Peixe'.
- Gabigol has scored four goals in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026. It is his highest tally in a single CONMEBOL competition since scoring six times in the 2022 Libertadores, which he won with Flamengo and in which he also scored in the Final.
- Macará spent the second-most minutes with the score level during the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026 Group Stage, with 405. They were also behind for only 45 minutes, which came in a 2-2 home draw against Tigre.
