Looking to build on a crucial win in their first Copa Libertadores group game last time out, Barcelona SC welcome The Strongest to Ecuador on Thursday.
The hosts kicked off their continental campaign with a 2-0 victory over Brazilian giants Santos, while the Bolivian outfit fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Boca Juniors in La Paz.
Match preview
Barcelona SC travelled to Brazil to take on Santos in the opening game of their group campaign and came away with an impressive 2-0 victory.
Carlos Garces opened the scoring early in the second half, before a Para own goal with 20 minutes to go put the game out of sight, sending the Ecuadorian side to the top of the group.
Fabian Bustos's side achieved automatic Copa Libertadores qualification by finishing second in the aggregate Ecuadorian Serie A table, while they went on to lift the domestic trophy in the final of the league season.
They drew 1-1 with LDU Quito over two legs in that final, and Damian Diaz would go on to net the winning penalty in the shootout to seal his side's 16th Ecuadorian Serie A title.
The domestic champions will now look to qualify for the round of 16 of South America's elite competition, with a second win on Thursday hugely boosting their chances of making it out of the group.
They take on The Strongest, who will be desperate to record their first points of the group stage after a narrow loss last time out.
In their opening game, the visitors welcomed Argentinian giants Boca Juniors to Bolivia, and they were unable to come back after Sebastian Villa's opener in the 7th minute.
Alberto Illanes's side qualified for the continental competition by finishing second in the Bolivian top flight, missing out on the title by just one point.
They moved to the summit of this year's domestic league last time out, as they bounced back from the Boca Juniors defeat with a dominant 4-1 victory over Atletico Palmaflor.
Jose Sagredo, Jair Reinoso, Diego Wayar and Jeyson Ariel all got on the scoresheet to maintain their side's unbeaten record in the top flight, taking their tally to 13 points from the opening five games of the campaign.
Illanes's priority will now be on the Copa Libertadores, as his team look to get their campaign up and running with what would be a crucial victory in Ecuador.
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
Team News
Barcelona SC's line will be led by Carlos Garces, who opened his account for the tournament with the opening goal in the victory over Santos.
He could be supported by the likes of Michael Hoyos, Damian Diaz and Emmanuel Martinez in advanced midfield roles.
At the other end of the pitch, William Riveros and Luis Leon will reform their solid centre-back pairing, having kept a clean sheet in the opening group victory.
Jair Reinoso is expected to feature prominently in The Strongest's attack, having scored in the recent 4-1 win.
Meanwhile, the experienced midfield three of Willie, Diego Wayar and Raul Castro should all feature again for Illanes's side.
Barcelona SC possible starting lineup:
Burrai; Castillo, Leon, Riveros, Pineida; Pinatares, Torres; Hoyos, Diaz, Martinez; Garces
The Strongest possible starting lineup:
D. Vaca; Chavez, Castillo, Marteli, Sagredo; Willie, Wayar, Castro; Almanza, Reinoso, R. Vaca
We say: Barcelona SC 2-0 The Strongest
While a 1-0 defeat to Boca Juniors is by no means devastating for The Strongest, we do not see them matching the Ecuadorian champions on Thursday.
Barcelona SC will come in with plenty of confidence following their opening victory, and they look strong enough in both attack and defence to put back-to-back wins on the board.
Top tip
Sam Varley
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Barcelona SC win with a probability of 49.77%. A win for The Strongest had a probability of 27.57% and a draw had a probability of 22.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Barcelona SC win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.46%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.66%) and 2-0 (7.11%). The likeliest The Strongest win was 1-2 (6.79%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.19%). The actual scoreline of 4-0 was predicted with a 2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Barcelona SC would win this match.
