River Plate (Argentina) and Flamengo (Brazil) will collide in the 2019 Copa Libertadores final. For the first time ever, the decisive match will be hosted in a one-legged tie on a neutral venue. After years of two-legged finals, the Copa Libertadores will replicate the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League system. This year, the venue will Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago, Chile.
First, let’s a dive into the history of both sides in the tournament, as well as their head-to-head record in CONMEBOL competitions. The first thing we must take into account is that both sides already know what it feels to lift South America’s biggest club trophy.
Los Millonarios have won it four times – in 1986, 1996, 2015 and 2017. In fact, River Plate will get the chance to win the Copa Libertadores on back-to-back years for the first time in club history, after their 2018 title where they defeated arch-rival Boca Juniors in Madrid. Meanwhile, Flamengo will go for their second title after lifting the trophy in 1981, when they defeated Chilean side Cobreloa. It is worth noting River have been the most successful side in the decade thus far. They are the only club with multiple trophies from 2010 onwards.
These two sides have history in the past. River edge the all-time competitive H2H record with a W5, D3, L4 record. However, they have played just four times in the Libertadores. In this particular competition, O Rubro Negro are undefeated with two wins and two wins.
River Plate s path to the 2019 Copa Libertadores final
These two teams took completely different routes on their path towards the decisive match. First, let’s take a look at River Plate’s road to Santiago.
Marcelo Gallardo’s men entered directly to the Group Stage and were in Group A, alongside Internacional (Brazil), Palestino (Chile), and Alianza Lima (Peru). They finished in second place with 10 points (W2, D4) and needed a penalty shoot-out to get past Cruzeiro (Brazil) during the Round of 16. They drew 0-0 on both matches, but River won 4-2 on penalties thanks to a stellar performance from Franco Armani between the posts.
River, however, stepped it up a notch in the final two knock-out stages. They defeated Cerro Porteno (Paraguay) with a 3-1 on the aggregate score, and later dispatched Boca Juniors with a 2-1 win on the semi-finals. River won 2-0 at home, but lost 1-0 at La Bombonera.
Flamengo s path to the 2019 Copa Libertadores final
On the other hand, Flamengo were in Group D with Liga de Quito (Ecuador), Penarol (Uruguay) and San Jose Oruro (Bolivia). The first three teams ended with 10 points (W3, D1, L2) but the Brazilian side finished at the top of the standings due to their superior goal differential (+6, against Liga’s +4 and Penarol’s +2). Just like River, they also needed a penalty shoot-out in the knockout stages to get past Ecuador’s Emelec (2-2 on the aggregate score, 4-2 on PKs)
Flamengo faced Brasileirao rivals in both the quarterfinals (Internacional) and semi-finals (Gremio), and finished undefeated in those four games. They defeated Inter 3-1 on the aggregate score, and destroyed Gremio in the final four with a 6-1 on the aggregate score, including a huge 5-0 win at home in the second leg.
Now, Argentina and Brazil will collide once again to see which country will lift the Libertadores trophy. Brazil have won five titles this decade, while Argentina have won three. Atletico Nacional (Colombia) won the remaining one. Furthermore, eight of the nine finals this decade have featured either a Brazilian or an Argentinian team.
History will repeat itself this time. Which team will come out on top this time? Undoubtedly, this will be a huge clash of styles between two CONMEBOL giants.
