Preview: Tigre vs Nacional - prediction, team news, lineups

Tigre and Nacional return to action in the Copa Sudamericana when they square off in the second leg of the knockout-stage playoffs at the Estadio Jose Dellagiovanna on Tuesday night.

Following their first-leg collapse in Uruguay last week, Jorge Bava’s men journey to Buenos Aires facing an uphill battle as they attempt to overturn a three-goal deficit and keep their continental campaign alive.

Match preview

Having narrowly secured qualification to the Sudamericana knockout-stage playoffs, Tigre placed one foot firmly in the round of 16 of the continental showpiece with a dominant first-leg display against Nacional last Tuesday.

The Argentine outfit managed just one point from their first two matches in Group A, but a run of two wins and two draws from their subsequent four games saw them finish second in the table with nine points, edging out third-placed America de Cali on goal difference.

Tigre continued from where they left off in the group stages at the Gran Parque Central, with Jalil Elias, Ignacio Russo and Elias Cabrera all hitting the target to take a commanding 3-0 first-leg victory over Nacional.

While Diego Dabove’s side have put together a solid run on the continental scene, they were denied a dream start to the new Argentine Primera Division Clausura campaign on Saturday, when they fell to a 1-0 loss against Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto in the season opener.

The result against Estudiantes marked the latest in the long trail of woeful results back home, with El Matador failing to win their last 13 domestic matches, claiming seven draws and losing six, including a 1-0 defeat against Independiente Rivadavia in the Copa Argentina round of 32 on July 12.

After three games on the road, Tigre will be backing themselves to bounce back and complete the job on Tuesday when they return to Buenos Aires, where they are unbeaten in 15 of their 17 games across all competitions since September 2025.

On the other hand, following a poor outing in the 2026 Copa Libertadores group phase, where they were narrowly beaten to the playoff qualification ticket, Nacional find themselves on the verge of bowing out of continental football.

The Uruguayan outfit managed two wins from their six Libertadores matches, while losing twice and claiming two draws to collect eight points and finish third in Group B, only below runners-up Deportes Tolima on goal difference.

Following their Libertadores exit, Nacional are making their first appearance in the Sudamericana since 2022, when they made it all the way to the quarter-finals before crashing out at the hands of Atletico Goianiense courtesy of a 4-0 aggregate defeat.

While Bava’s men will attempt a historic comeback on Tuesday, their current form remains far from inspiring, as they have failed to win four of their most recent five matches across all competitions, having picked up four wins and one draw from the five games preceding this run.

Results on the road also point to another tough challenge at the Estadio Jose Dellagiovanna, with Nacional managing just three wins from their 12 away matches across all competitions since the start of March.

Tigre Copa Sudamericana form:

Tigre form (all competitions):

Nacional Copa Sudamericana form:

Nacional form (all competitions):

Team News

Tigre remain without the services of 24-year-old midfielder Bruno Leyes, who is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the first leg against Nacional last week.

In his absence, Martin Garay should get the nod on Tuesday, teaming up with Santiago Lopez, Jalil Elias and Boca Juniors’ loanee Jabes Saralegui at the centre of the park, while Gonzalo Martinez and Russo should lead the attack once again.

Veteran defender Ramon Arias has also missed each of the last four games since suffering a knee injury in May, and the 34-year-old is also out of contention for the Argentine outfit.

As for Nacional, former Manchester City midfielder Bruno Zuculini picked up a red card in last week’s first-leg defeat and will play no part in Tuesday’s game due to a one-game suspension.

In Zuculini’s absence, Lucas Rodriguez should be handed a starting role, forming the midfield trio with Baltasar Barcia and Agustin Dos Santos, while Luciano Boggio, Maximiliano Gomez and Maximiliano Silvera should lead the attack.

Tigre possible starting lineup:

Zenobio; Banegas, Barrionuevo, Laso, Moreno; Garay, Lopez, Elias, Saralegui; Martinez, Russo

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Arias; Ancheta, Coates, Calvo, Candido; Dellagiovanna, Barcia, Dos Santos; Boggio, Gomez, Silvera

We say: Tigre 2-0 Nacional

Following their stellar first-leg display, Tigre are in the driver’s seat heading into Tuesday’s tie, and given their form at home, we fancy them to get the better of a Nacional side who have struggled in attack, having failed to find the back of the net in three of their last five matches.

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