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

Seeking to bounce back from a 1-0 opening-day loss against Deportivo Cuenca, Santos play host to Deportivo Recoleta at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium in their second Group D fixture of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana on Wendesday morning.

The visitors, who marked their debut in the competition with an impressive 1–1 draw against San Lorenzo in Asuncion last week, arrive in Santos looking to build on that momentum, which could represent a real test for the home side.

Match preview

Splitting focus between Brasileirao Serie A and the Copa Sudamericana, Santos have endured a topsy-turvy start to the 2026 campaign, with the Vila Belmiro outfit sitting in 14th in the league with 13 points from 11 matches, just five points above the relegation zone.

In their most recent four Brasileirao games, Cuca’s men played out a goalless draw against Cruzeiro and a 3-1 defeat to Flamengo on either side of a 2-0 victory over Remo on April 2, before a second-half strike from Moises inspired a 1-0 win over Atletico Mineiro last Saturday.

On the continental scene, Peixe are favourites in the Copa Sudamericana Group D that includes San Lorenzo, Deportivo Cuenca and Recoleta Football Club, but a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Deportivo Cuenca on opening day has seen them come under immediate pressure.

Despite taking 19 shots at the Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar, Santos managed just four on target, exposing what had been a recurring lack of sting in attack, with Lucas Mancinelli breaking the deadlock in the 60th minute to hand the hosts all three points.

Founded in Asuncion back in 1931, Deportivo Recoleta have enjoyed a historic campaign, with the Paraguayan outfit making their first-ever appearance on the continental scene.

Recoleta made their mark in their Sudamericana opener last Wednesday, when they held their own to see out a 1-1 draw against San Lorenzo, highlighting their ability to compete against the top sides across the continent.

The stalemate against San Lorenzo marked another positive result on home turf for Jorge Gonzalez's men, who had won their previous two league matches at the Estadio Roque Battilana, beating Rubio Nu 1-0 on March 27 before claiming a 4-2 victory over Sportivo San Lorenzo in the Paraguayan Apertura.

Next up is the stern challenge of facing a Santos side looking to bounce back from their opening-day result, but Recoleta will journey to Vila Belmiro boosted with confidence from recent positive results as they look to pick up another historic result and strengthen their position in Group D.

Santos Copa Sudamericana form:

Santos form (all competitions):

Deportivo Recoleta Copa Sudamericana form:

Deportivo Recoleta form (all competitions):

Team News

Santos will have to cope without the services of Vinicius Lira, who is recuperating from a torn knee ligament, while Gabriel Menino has been ruled out through a thigh injury.

Miguelito is being assessed after a recent muscle problem, while the attacking duo of Neymar and Gabigol offer positive news following their return to action against Atletico Mineiro.

Tomas Rincon is also available for selection, having missed the opener against Deportivo Cuenca due to visa issues, alongside Barreal, who served a league suspension at the weekend.

As for Recoleta, we expect an unchanged side from the game against San Lorenzo I last week, with Allan Wlk posing the greatest threat in attack, alongside Pablo Zeballos, who offers experience after coming out of retirement this season.

However, questions are being raised about the visitors’ ability to compete at the highest level on Wednesday due to fatigue and stress levels, having featured in the Paraguayan Apertura just three days ago, when they fell to a 2-1 loss against Sportivo Luqueno.

Santos possible starting lineup:

Brazao; Vinicius, Verissimo, Peres, Escobar; Arao, Bontempo, Neymar; Oliva, Rony, Gabigo

Deportivo Recoleta possible starting lineup:

Mongelos; Villalba, Wiechniak, Balbuena, Maldonado; Comas, Maiz, Quintana, Franco; Maggi, Ruiz

We say: Santos 3-0 Deportivo Recoleta

Santos will be desperate to get their Sudamericana campaign off and running after a disappointing opening-day result, and they will be backing themselves to get the result against an inexperienced Recoleta side in front of their home supporters.

Deportivo Recoleta showed resilience against San Lorenzo last week, but given the gulf in quality and experience between the two teams, we see them falling against a stacked Santos side built to compete at the highest level with stars like Neymar and Gabigol.

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