Apr 25, 2012: Internacional vs Fluminense
Internacional, the worst team of the Group Stage of the Copa Libertadores, face Fluminense, the best team, in the Round of 16 stage of the competition at the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre on Wednesday. The match-up is without any doubt the most highly-anticipated of the entire round as it brings together two Brazilian powerhouses. Inter, who struggled to reach this instance of the competition, will be unable to count with the services of Argentine playmaker Andres D'Alessandro, who will be out of action for up to four weeks due to a muscle injury. Despite the fact that this will be a major blow for the 2006 and 2010 South American champions, they will look to the inspiration of Brazilian international Leandro Damiao to get them past the Rio de Janeiro outfit. Fluminense perhaps count with the strongest side of the competition, with the likes of Deco, Thiago Neves, Rafael Sobis and Fred on their roster, and will be hoping to pick up a positive result on their visit to Porto Alegre.
Probable Starting Line-ups
Internacional: Muriel, Ney, Rodrigo Moledo, Indio, Kleber, Sandro Silva, Pablo Guinazu, Tinga, Jesus Datolo, Dagoberto and Leandro Damiao.
Fluminense: Diego Cavalieri, Bruno, Anderson, Gum, Carlinhos, Edinho, Diguinho, Deco, Thiago Neves, Rafael Sobis and Fred.
Prediction: Internacional 2-1 Fluminense
Apr 25, 2012: Bolivar vs Santos
Defending champions Santos travel to the altitude of La Paz to take on Bolivar in what promises to be a hotly-contested affair. The Brazilians don't have particularly fond memories of playing in the Bolivian capital as in their group opener they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of The Strongest. Brazilian teams don't have a great history when playing at high altitude, and the fact that the Hernando Siles stadium sits at 3,600 metres above sea level will likely put them at a disadvantage. But with the likes of Neymar, Paulo Henrique Ganso and Elano in their squad, Santos should rate their chances of picking up a positive result in La Paz to facilitate their passage into the quarter-finals of the competition, when the teams meet in Sao Paulo for the return leg. Bolivar, who crushed Universidad Catolica 3-0 last week, advanced to this instance for the first time in 12 years and will be hoping to make the most of it with a convincing victory in front of their enthusiastic fans.
Probable Starting Line-ups
Bolivar: Marcos Arguello, Edemir Rodriguez, Pablo Frontini, Gabriel Valverde, Walter Flores, Rudy Cardozo, Jhasmani Campos, Lorgio Alvarez, Damian Lizio, William Ferreira and Juan Carlos Arce.
Santos: Rafael, Maranhao, Edu Dracena, Durval, Juan, Adriano, Arouca, Elano, Paulo Henrique Ganso, Borges and Neymar.
Prediction: Bolivar 2-2 Santos
