Santos and Deportivo Tachira will compete in the second leg of their round of 16 Copa Sudamericana fixture on Thursday in a bid to earn a place in the next stage of the competition.

The first game was an even one that finished 1-1, giving neither side an advantage heading into this one, leaving everything to play for.

Match preview

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Santos managed to score an 86th-minute equaliser in order to earn a draw in the first-leg match against Deportivo Tachira with Bryan Angulo ensuring they head into this match level.

It was a member of their squad that had actually granted their opponents the lead as Vinicius Zanocelo scored an own goal in the first half.

Fabian Bustos had witnessed his team put in a dominant performance across that match after they had 56% of the possession throughout the game, which he will be hoping can be repeated.

Santos head into this match on the back of a defeat though after being beaten by Flamengo as they conceded a 73rd-minute goal by Gabriel Barbosa which led to a 2-1 result.

This extended their tough run of form to five goals, with the club having failed to pick up a victory in their previous five outings.

The visitors come into this fixture on the back of a victory in the league, having defeated Mineros de Guayana by a goal to nil after Renny Simisterra found the back of the net.

Alex Pallares's team have struggled for consistency in their most recent run of games, having won three, drawn once, and lost three twice in their previous six games across all competitions.

Despite that, the squad are performing well on the whole in the Venezuelan Primera Division, as they currently sit fourth in the table.

Deportivo Tachira have won eight of their 18 fixtures in the league to this point, and they will be aiming to bring that form into the Copa Sudamericana.

Offensively they have provided a threat throughout the campaign, scoring 28 times, which is something they will need to continue in this particular competition in a bid to progress.

Team News

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Zanocelo might have scored an own goal in the first leg of this round, but he was on the scoresheet in the right manner at the weekend, and he will no doubt be part of the midfield.

Lucas Braga will be providing an attacking threat on the wing, while Marcos Leonardo is more than likely set to spearhead the attack on his own.

Anthony Uribe will be sure to lead the line for the visitors in this encounter, likely doing so as the lone striker to provide their attacking threat.

Simisterra was left on the bench during the previous match in this competition, but after scoring in Deportivo Tachira's most recent outing he could end up being featured here.

Santos possible starting lineup:
Paulo; Auro, Velazquez, Eduardo, Jonatan; Camacho, Zanocelo; Braga, Baptistao, Gabriel; Leonardo

Deportivo Tachira possible starting lineup:
Varela; Camacho, Perea, Ariano, Marrufo; Flores, Garces; Simisterra, Cova, Hernandez; Uribe

We say: Santos 1-2 Deportivo Tachira

The fixture last time proved to be closely contested, and that is something that will no doubt be the case again as both teams aim to progress into the next round.

Santos have struggled for form in all competitions as of late, and that lack of confidence is something that could prove to be their downfall here.

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

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