The opening round of the Copa Libertadores brought little joy for either Club Nacional or Bahia. In their head-to-head clash scheduled for the early hours of Thursday at the Gran Parque Central in Montevideo, fans should not expect a free-flowing encounter — both sides are likely to aim for a narrow win.
Club Nacional suffered a heavy 0:3 defeat away to Atlético Nacional. The Uruguayan side only recorded 0.81 xG with three shots on target, while their Colombian opponents capitalised on all three of their clear chances. Domestically, the team trails Liverpool Montevideo by six points in the league standings and has failed to win any of their four home fixtures.
Bahia secured their Copa Libertadores qualification last season by relying on a pragmatic, defence-first approach in Brazil’s Serie A. In their opening group stage match, the team allowed just 0.93 xGA against Sport Club Internacional (1:1) and nearly snatched a late winner. The squad is currently on a ten-match unbeaten run across all competitions, including four clean sheets.
This debut meeting between Club Nacional and Bahia is unlikely to offer an abundance of chances. Both teams are struggling to find rhythm early in the season, and neither would want to go winless through the first two rounds of the Copa Libertadores. Under these circumstances, Total Under 2.5 goals appears to be the most viable betting option.
