As they enter their final group match at the 2022 Copa Libertadores, Emelec must defeat Independiente Petrolero on Tuesday at Estadio George Capwell with kickoff at 3:30 am.
Guayaquil-based Barcelona SC will look to win their first home game in this year’s Copa Libertadores when they take on Ecuadorian giants Emelec on Wednesday.
This will be one of the biggest matches in the club’s history, as the last time they competed, they came out on top 2-1 over Cruziero to advance to the next round before losing to Flamengo in the Round of 16.
You have to go back to 2017 to find the last time Barcelona won a home game at this stage of the tournament when they defeated Peruvian side Melgar 3-0, finishing second in their group.
Coming into this encounter and with six points separating them from archrival Emelec at the top of Ecuador’s Serie A table, Ismael Rescalvo and his team are winless in four consecutive games in all competitions.
Emelec has conceded first in four of their five games at this year’s Libertadores, but they are a tough team to catch when they do score first. They haven’t lost since a 3-2 defeat to Independiente del Valle in November 2021 and will meet their match against fellow Ecuadorian side Sporting Cristal in the semi-finals.
Emelec vs Independiente Petrolero Head to Head
Both sides have only one game against each other that ended in a draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Emelec 0-1 Catolica
- Palmeiras 1-0 Emelec
- Orense 2-0 Emelec
- Barcelona SC 1-1 Emelec
Away
- Petrolero 0-0 Royal
- Tachira 3-0 Petrolero
- Petrolero 0-0 Vinto
- Blooming 4-0 Petrolero
Emelec Team News
Mauro Quiroga rescued a point for Emelec against Petrolero, scoring their equalizer in injury time. Sebastian Rodriguez leads the way in goals scored this season, having notched a hat-trick in a 4-1 over Deportivo Tachira on matchday four. Since March, Marlon Mejia has been out through injury; Alexis Zapata leads them in assists with two after five encounters.
Petrolero Team News
Independiente Petrolero’s Leonel Buter scored the last goal for the club, as he had the only tally in a 1-0 win over Club Universitario earlier this month. Hugo Ayala made three saves to collect the clean sheet.
Prediction and Odds
We expect El Bombillo to end their woes at home against a side with nothing to play for and a defense that has been far too easy to penetrate in this competition.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
