- Santos will look to seal their place in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16.
- The Venezuelan side will be aiming to pull off a remarkable comeback away from home against the Peixe.
Santos return to Vila Belmiro with the chance to finish off a tie they put firmly in their favor with a commanding 4-1 victory in Venezuela. That advantage means they could even lose by two goals and still progress to the next round, while Universidad Central must win by three to level the aggregate score. Santos will look to make home advantage count and confirm the superiority they showed in the first leg, when they took their chances and displayed all of their attacking quality.
The Brazilian side come into the match after a 2-2 draw against Chapecoense in the Brasileirão, a result that brought one major positive beyond the point earned: Neymar returned to action and scored both of his team’s goals. Universidad Central, meanwhile, face the daunting task of producing a historic comeback to extend the best continental campaign in the club’s history, which began in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. The Venezuelan side will need to take risks from the opening whistle against one of the continent’s traditional giants. The winner of the tie will face Macará in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16.
Match details
Stadium: Urbano Caldeira, Santos
Date and kick-off time: Tuesday, July 28 at 9:30 p.m.
Referee: Carlos Benítez (PAR)
VAR: Ulises Mereles (PAR)
The match in numbers
- Santos generated 2.41 expected goals against UCV in the first leg, the Peixe’s second-highest xG total in an away CONMEBOL Sudamericana match since records began in 2013, behind only their game against Recoleta in 2026 (2.74 xG).
- Of Santos’ 12 goals in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, 11 have come from open play and just one from a set piece (Gabriel Barbosa’s direct free-kick against San Lorenzo). Only Botafogo (13) have scored more open-play goals in the competition.
- Santos remain unbeaten against Venezuelan opposition in CONMEBOL competitions, with four wins and five draws. Three of those victories came at home in the Libertadores: 3-2 against Caracas in 2007, 3-1 against Deportivo Táchira in 2011 and 2-1 against Deportivo Lara in 2021.
- Gabriel Menino (Santos) was one of only two players to score after carrying the ball in the first-leg matches of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, alongside Miguel Merentiel (Boca).
- Daniel De Sousa has provided an assist in each of his last two matches for UCV in CONMEBOL competitions, matching the club record for assists by a player in continental competition, alongside Fernando Solé (two each). De Sousa has created just two chances for the Venezuelan side, and both resulted in goals.
