Preview: Santos vs Deportivo Cuenca - prediction, team news, lineups

Santos and Deportivo Cuenca go head to head in the final Group D game of the Copa Sudamericana at the Estadio Urbano Caldeira on Wednesday morning.

This is Peixe’s last shot at securing a spot in the knockout stages, and with both Neymar and captain Lucas Verissimo ruled out, they face a difficult challenge against the Ecuadorian side, who are on a solid unbeaten run.

Match preview

Certainly, neither head coach Cuca nor the Santos supporters want to head into the World Cup break in the Brasileirao relegation zone, and with the wound from the last relegation still not fully healed, the current Brasileirao campaign is already setting off alarm bells.

While Peixe’s main focus remains the domestic league, they now turn their attention to the Copa Sudamericana, where they sit rock-bottom in Group D and need maximum points against Deportivo Cuenca Ecuadorians to stand a chance at reaching the knockout phase.

It is worth highlighting that Santos are the only Brazilian team yet to win a match in CONMEBOL competitions in 2026, picking up just four points from a possible 15 in what has been a forgettable campaign.

In their last outing, Santos visited Gremio in the Brasileirao last Saturday, and even with two goals from Gabriel Barbosa, they could not contain Gremio striker Carlos Vinicius, who also netted a brace to hand the Gauchos a 3-2 comeback victory.

Santos find themselves inside the Brasileirao relegation zone, having picked up just 18 points from their 17 matches to sit 17th in the league standings.

Meanwhile, Deportivo Cuenca head into the group finale in a very comfortable situation and in good form, riding a seven-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, although coming off two consecutive draws.

In Ecuador’s LigaPro, Jorge Celico’s men played out a 1-1 draw with LDU last Saturday, with goals from Jorge Ordonez and Rodney Redes, a result that has kept Los Morlacos inside the top four of the domestic league.

In the Copa Sudamericana, Cuenca are on a run of three consecutive stalemates, including a 2-2 draw with Recoleta in the previous round on May 20, ending their hopes of direct qualification to the round of 16.

The Ecuadorian outfit are currently second in Group D with six points from five matches, one point above third-placed Recoleta, meaning just a draw in Baixada Santista could be enough to secure a playoff spot, should the result in the other group fixture go in their favour.

Even in poor form, Santos can still be an extremely dangerous side, which could make the contest very open, while Cuenca have shown themselves to be an away team capable of making the most of opponents’ mistakes.

Santos Copa Sudamericana form:

Santos form (all competitions):

Deportivo Cuenca Copa Sudamericana form:

Deportivo Cuenca form (all competitions):

Team News

Santos' biggest absentee for the decisive home clash is Neymar, with the veteran playmaker suffering a calf muscle injury in his right leg against Coritiba on May 17 and is expected to remain sidelined until the Brazilian national team reports for the World Cup.

Another major absence will be club captain Verissimo, who is suspended after receiving his third yellow card of the campaign against San Lorenzo last time out, while Rollheiser, Thaciano, Joao Schmitdt and Gabriel Menino are all recuperating from injuries.

As for Cuenca, Argentine coach Jorge Celico has no confirmed absentees and will be boosted by the return of defender Patricio Boolsen, who served a suspension against Recoleta last time out.

We expect the Ecuadorian side to field a lineup similar to the one that defeated Santos in the opening round back in April, but we expect the main battle for a starting spot in attack to be between Ordonez and 31-year-old Nicolas Leguizamon.

Santos possible starting lineup:

Brazao; Vinicius, Frias, Peres, Escobar; Arao, Henriques, Miguelito; Bontempo, Barreal Barbosa

Deportivo Cuenca possible starting lineup:

Ferrero; Mosquera, Boolsen, Postel, Arboleda; Maccari, Chacon, Garcia, Vega, Gonzalez; Ordonez

We say: Santos 2-2 Deportivo Cuenca

With all four Group D teams still in contention for qualification, we should be treated to an entertaining encounter in Baixada Santista. Santos are certainly not in their best form and will have to work hard for qualification, but without several key players and with so many absentees, the task becomes even more difficult.

For Deportivo Cuenca, a draw could be enough, which allows the Ecuadorians to approach the match in a more convenient manner, and even without possessing a particularly powerful attack in the Copa Sudamericana, they have held their own in attack, and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.