River Plate and Barcelona SC both began their Copa Libertadores campaigns with identical 1:0 victories. While both teams come into this fixture in decent form, the hosts field a considerably stronger line-up, making this a challenging task for the visitors.
River Plate have made a solid start to the season, losing only once in the Argentine league and winning their opening match in the Copa Libertadores. Since the turn of the year, the team has suffered just one defeat and has scored more than two goals in only one outing. Goalkeeper and captain Franco Armani has been particularly impressive, recording eight clean sheets in 12 domestic appearances. He is supported by a core of experienced players including Gustavo Montiel, Marcos Acuña (formerly with Sevilla FC), Manuel Lanzini (ex-West Ham United), Enzo Pérez (formerly of Valencia CF), Matías Kranevitter and Sebastián Driussi.
Barcelona SC currently lead the Ecuadorian league and also kicked off their Libertadores campaign with a narrow 1:0 victory over Independiente del Valle. The team pulled off a surprise in qualification by knocking out Corinthians with a 3:2 aggregate win (3:0, 0:2). Their recent matches have generally been low-scoring affairs, with only three of their last 11 games featuring more than three goals. Offensively, there are few standout names, with Felipe Caicedo being the main exception; however, the veteran forward plays infrequently and rarely completes the full 90 minutes.
River Plate are clearly the more experienced and defensively disciplined side. While Barcelona SC have also made a promising start to their campaign, their lack of depth is likely to be a decisive factor against a well-organised Argentine outfit. As a result, the suggested combination bet is: River Plate to avoid defeat and Total Under 3.5 goals.
