Estudiantes vs Flamengo - prediction, team news, lineups

Estudiantes and Flamengo renew acquaintances successful the 2026 Copa Libertadores radical stages, having antecedently clashed successful past season's quarter-finals. Both sides stay unbeaten and inhabit the apical 2 positions successful Group A.

Thursday’s lucifer astatine Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi is efficaciously a nonstop contention for apical spot successful the radical arsenic the hosts get with 4 points, portion Flamengo boast a 100% grounds successful the tourney and are riding a seven-match winning streak successful each competitions.

Match preview

Estudiantes travel into this fixture pursuing a goalless gully with Talleres successful the Argentine Championship; a effect that sealed their spot successful the circular of 16 arsenic group leaders.

Their coagulated run has travel contempt a managerial alteration successful February, erstwhile nine fable and 2025 Argentine champion Eduardo Dominguez departed for Atletico Mineiro.

He was replaced by Alexander Medina, formerly of Internacional, who has overseen six wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats successful his archetypal 11 matches astatine the helm.

Estudiantes’ Libertadores run has been steady, with a 1-1 gully against Independiente Medellin successful their opener followed by a 2-1 triumph implicit Cusco, courtesy of goals from Facundo Farias and Tiago Palacios.

Looking to instrumentality apical spot successful the group, Estudiantes volition person the backing of a packed stadium and are anxious to avenge past year's achy location elimination to Flamengo connected penalties successful the quarter-finals.

Flamengo, meanwhile, get successful fantabulous signifier aft a tally of results that person restored assurance pursuing a mediocre commencement to 2026. Final losses against Corinthians and Lanus prompted the committee to regenerate Filipe Luis with Leonardo Jardim.

The managerial alteration has paid dividends: Flamengo person won 7 consecutive matches successful each competitions, including a ascendant 4-0 triumph implicit Atletico Mineiro astatine Arena MRV past clip out—one of their champion performances of the season.

Pedro (twice), Arrascaeta and Gonzalo Plata were connected the scoresheet, keeping the Rio broadside close connected the heels of league leaders Palmeiras.

The Brasileiro rubric race is besides heating up, with Palmeiras connected 32 points and Flamengo connected 26. That momentum has carried implicit into the Libertadores, wherever Flamengo person beaten Cusco 2-0 successful Peru and thrashed Independiente Medellin 4-1.

A cardinal origin successful Flamengo's resurgence has been the revival of respective individuals; Pedro, Samuel Lino, and Lucas Paqueta person each deed apical signifier and are pivotal to the team’s existent run.

Estudiantes Copa Libertadores form:

Estudiantes signifier (all competitions):

Flamengo Copa Libertadores form:

Flamengo signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Alexander Medina's squad has conscionable 1 absentee: Paraguayan left-back Santiago Arzamendia, who suffered an ACL rupture successful December and is expected backmost astatine the extremity of July.

Defensively, Estudiantes person been solid, keeping 4 cleanable sheets successful their past 8 location matches and conceding conscionable 7 times successful 15 Argentine Championship games.

For Flamengo, midfielder Erick Pulgar is successful the last stages of betterment from a enarthrosis injury, with optimism surrounding his instrumentality successful the coming days.

Lucas Paqueta, who has been successful good form, is besides being monitored owed to caller genu pain.

Manager Leonardo Jardim has rotated his squad to support fittingness levels and whitethorn inactive marque tiny adjustments to the expected starting XI aft Tuesday’s training.

Estudiantes imaginable starting lineup:

Muslera; Meza, Pirez, Palacios, Benedetti; Amondarain, Piovi; Palacios, Farias, Cetre; Carrillo

Flamengo imaginable starting lineup:

Rossi; Varela, Ortiz, Pereira, Lucas; Araujo, Jorginho; Plata, De Arrascaeta, Lino; Pedro

We say: Estudiantes 1-2 Flamengo

A Libertadores clash betwixt Brazilian and Argentines is ever apt to nutrient attacking opportunities—especially fixed Flamengo's signifier successful beforehand of goal, with 19 strikes successful their past 7 matches.

With a extremity mean adjacent to 3 per crippled and a much cohesive tactical approach, Flamengo are tipped to dictate the tempo successful La Plata and assertion a important victory.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.