On Wednesday night, Flamengo will travel to Colombia for the first leg of their last-16 Copa Libertadores tie against Deportes Tolima with kickoff at 330 am.
Deportes Tolima have already secured their best-ever showing in the Copa Libertadores by reaching the last-16 stage of this year’s edition.
The recently-dethroned Colombian champions fended off competition from America Mineiro and Independiente del Valle to finish second in Group D behind Atletico Mineiro, who only progressed in first place courtesy of a superior goal difference.
Torres’s men would quickly recover from an opening-day loss to the group winners to go unbeaten in their next five Group D matches, and they sealed their place in the knockout rounds with a 2-1 victory over Atletico Mineiro on the final matchday.
Flamengo’s continental nous at this level is well-documented. As the Brazilian giants seek to win South America’s top honour for the third time and end a three-year drought in the competition, Dorival Junior’s side were one of only three teams to make it through to the last-16 stage without losing a game.
The other being River Plate and defending champions Palmeiras. Flamengo’s domestic fortunes did take an alarming nosedive following the conclusion of the group stage, though, as they suffered five defeats in six Brasileiro matches before bouncing back with a 3-0 success over America Mineiro on Saturday.
Tolima vs Flamengo Head to Head
Both sides have not yet played against each other and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Tolima 2-1 Nacional
- Nacional 3-1 Tolima
- Tolima 1-0 Envigado
- Medellin 0-1 Tolima
Away
- Flamengo 3-0 America Mineiro
- Atletico Mineiro 2-1 Flamengo
- Mineiro 2-0 Flamengo
- Flamengo 2-0 Cuiaba
Tolima Team News
Deportes Tolima will be without attacker Andres Ibarguen for the first leg of their tie against Atletico Nacional after he was forced off with a leg injury. Juan David Rios and Anderson Angulo are also occupying spots in the treatment room, while creative hub Daniel Catano will be fine to take part despite seeing red in league action at the weekend.
Flamengo Team News
Meanwhile, Flamengo will be without midfielder Joao Gomes and defender David Luiz in their match against Santos on Sunday. Gomes was sent off in Saturday’s victory over America Mineiro, while Luiz is still sidelined with a thigh injury and Henrique, who has a knee injury, could also miss the upcoming game.
Prediction and Odds
Junior’s side has not been performing well recently, but we predict that the team will survive this round of the tournament.
- Away Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- No Score: Home
