Photo by Divulgação/ECB

Bahia will be looking to secure their spot in the third qualifying round of the Copa Libertadores when they face Bolivian side The Strongest on Tuesday evening.

Last week, they had a golden opportunity to secure a big result at high altitude when Luciano Ursino was sent off for a reckless challenge on Bahia’s Gilberto just six minutes into the match.

Despite their numerical advantage, Bahia conceded first, even after forcing Luis Banegas into several big saves. It was a well-worked, quick counterattack from The Strongest, with Uruguayan forward Sebastián Guerrero applying the finish.

The Brazilians did eventually find a way past Banegas, through Willian José who netted from close range, as the first leg ended 1-1 – a result Bahia would have taken before the game.

Tricolor are in great form at the moment, they are unbeaten in their last eleven matches and at the weekend, they ran out 2-0 winners against Juazeirense. They come into this game as huge favourites but must avoid complacency against a side that made it into the Libertadores knockout stages in 2024. 

Manager Rogério Ceni remains unbeaten in the Copa Libertadores, with three wins and six draws from nine games. These matches came during his time in charge of Flamengo

The Strongest arrived in Brazil earlier than usual, training at the facilities of Bahia’s rivals, Vitória, ahead of their clash at Arena Fonte Nova. This was due to the difference in heat between Brazil and Bolivia. For context, last week, temperatures in Bolivia ranged from 5º to 13º, while in Salvador, they could reach 31º—conditions that Bolivians are not accustomed to.

They come into this battle without a win in their last three matches and are huge underdogs and will look to soak up pressure and hit Bahia on the break. Banegas had a standout performance between the sticks last week and will need to replicate that if the Bolivians are to have any chance of causing an upset.

BAHIA TEAM NEWS

Ceni chose to rest several key players at the weekend, giving them extra time to prepare for this clash. Kayky and Iago Bordouchi played at the weekend having returned from injury, meaning Bahia have no injury concerns.

Probable Bahia lineup

Marcos Felipe; Gilberto, Kanu, Gabriel Xavier, Ramos Mingo; Caio Alexandre, Jean Lucas, Everton Ribeiro; Ademir, Erick Pulga, Lucho Rodriguez.

THE STRONGEST TEAM NEWS

Brazilian coach Antônio Carlos Zago will be without Luciano Ursino who saw red last week. The Strongest also opted to rotate their main eleven at the weekend, which saw them suffer a 3-0 loss.

Probable The Strongest lineup

Rodrigo Banegas; Fran Supayabe, Adrián Jusino, Líder Yanarico, Tobías Moriceau; Joel Amoroso, Luciano Ursino, Luiz Castro, Jaime Arrascaita; Sebastián Guerrero, Enrique Triverio.

Prediction

Bahia 3-0 The Strongest