The Cerveceros and the Cusco team won't have it easy in the continental tournament known as "La Gran Conquista"
Although the matchups for the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 playoffs were already known, a draw held this morning determined who the teams will face if they advance past this first round. Thus, Cienciano and Sporting Cristal—the clubs set to compete in the playoffs—now know their path toward the Copa Sudamericana trophy.
It should be noted that Cienciano finished second in Group B of the tournament's group stage, behind Atlético Mineiro, while Cristal finished third in Group F of the Copa Libertadores and was eliminated at this stage.
Based on their standings, Cristal will face Bragantino of Brazil, while Cienciano will take on Lanús, the defending champion. If the Bajopontinos defeat the Brazilians, their next opponent will be another Brazilian team—none other than Mineiro. Meanwhile, if “Papá” beats Lanús, their next opponent will be Botafogo.
Below, we present the matchups for the Round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, which also features River Plate and Boca Juniors. Boca Juniors was eliminated from the Libertadores after finishing third in its group.
- Boca Juniors/O’Higgins vs. Recoleta
- Bolívar/Gremio vs. São Paulo
- Independiente Santa Fe/Caracas vs. River Plate
- Independiente Medellín/Vasco da Gama vs. Olimpia
- Sporting Cristal/Bragantino vs. Atlético Mineiro
- Universidad Central/Santos vs. Macará
- Nacional de Montevideo/Tigre vs. Montevideo City
- Lanús/Cienciano vs. Botafogo
