Copa Sudamericana 2024, Friday, 26.04.2024
In the aftermath of Friday’s match, I won’t spend much time typing on the Betway app, as I already have a very clear opinion on this game! Even if in this case it’s a competitor of said provider who is offering me the best odds for my Fortaleza Boca Juniors tip.
I assume that the Brazilians, who have been more convincing on the first two matchdays anyway, will not relinquish their lead in the table. Especially as Boca Juniors, for their part, are already looking forward to next Sunday …
“From Zero (or at least almost Zero) To Hero!” could be the motto among CABJ fans these days.
After all, Boca Juniors only finished fourth in the Apertura, but the subsequent play-off match against the Group A leaders was nevertheless surprisingly won.
River Plate were knocked out of the play-offs with a brace from Miguel Merentiel and a goal from long-time SSC striker Edinson Cavani – 3:2.
So before you think about a Fortaleza Boca Juniors tip, you need to know that the Argentines are already secretly preparing for next Sunday, when Estudiantes await them in the semi-finals
This is not to insinuate that the Argentinians will concede Friday’s game. But the semi-final against Estudiantes will certainly be a reminder for them to show some restraint.
Furthermore, both opponents have already built up a small lead over the other two participants in Group D, so a defeat would not be a disaster.
Fortaleza won both of their matches against Nacional Potosi (5-0) and Sportivo Trinidense (2-0) without staining their own goalkeeper’s clean sheet.
Boca Juniors, on the other hand, failed to score against Potosi on matchday 1 (0-0) and only did the bare minimum against Trinidense (1-0).
However, even if both teams were guaranteed a place in the top two of preliminary round Group D, winning the group would certainly have its appeal.
After all, the runners-up would have to play an additional intermediate round if they were to advance before they could also get a taste of the round of 16
Fortaleza, meanwhile, is a club that has worked hard to earn its status as one of the better Brazilian Serie A clubs in recent years.
In the 2021 season, they even managed to finish a surprising 4th place and even in the past two seasons, their performances have been enough to qualify for a South American club competition.
Meanwhile, the new 2024 first division adventure is just under a week old and began with a 2-1 away win against Sao Paulo and a more or less fair 1-1 draw against Cruzeiro
Fortaleza’s only notable additions at the start of the season were the acquisition of Emmanuel Martinez from America-MG for €1.5 million.
And I also expect Breno Lopes to have a positive impact on the team, even if the Palmeiras loanee didn’t have an impressive record for a striker in the last Serie A season (31 appearances, 5 goals).
Nevertheless, the “Tricolor de Aco” as a collective should be able to work their way out of the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana this season without any problems thanks to their playing potential.
In the previous season, they even managed to advance with a record of 5 wins and just one defeat
Fortaleza are a team that, due to a lack of opportunities to seriously compete for the title in Serie A, always give higher priority to international club competitions.
And so the fact that they have not lost any of their last five South American Cup matches at home has a positive effect on my Fortaleza Boca Juniors prediction (3 wins, 2 draws).
Because in this context, I rate the odds offered by the sports betting providers of around 2.25 as sufficiently high to actually put an “A” on my betting slip for this game.
The two clubs have never crossed paths on the international stage before, so it’s fair to say that Friday will be a first.
Fittingly, the Interwetten bonus is perfect for this match!
Especially as you could have already fulfilled the wagering requirements for a payout to a large extent if you are successful!
Conclusion: Boca have a very young team that can withstand the strain of an English week quite well.
But Cavani, Fernandez and the two central defenders Rojo and Lema are certainly not the youngest, so the coach will probably want to exercise caution here.
After all, the important play-off semi-final against Estudiantes is just a few days away in Argentina, which is far more important than keeping the upper hand against Fortaleza by hook or by crook.
My Fortaleza Boca Juniors tip: Victory for the hosts!
