There is everything to play for in Group G of the Copa Sudamericana when Santa Fe and Goias meet at the Estadio El Campin on Thursday night.
The hosts cannot afford to lose if they want to earn a place in the next stage of the competition, while a draw will be sufficient for the visitors.
Match preview
Santa Fe head into this group currently in third place where they will be pushing to get a victory to secure a place in the next stage of the competition.
While a draw could be enough for them if the other match goes in their favour, the hosts will be hoping to wrap things up themselves and a victory would lead to them leapfrogging their opponents.
Their last outing resulted in a 2-0 victory with goals from Hugo Rodallega and Neyder Moreno ensuring that they got the victory to keep themselves in a fighting chance of progression.
A big problem for the hosts has been their lack of goals, as the two that they scored in that match are half of what they have achieved in the entire competition so far.
Scoring only four times overall across the five matches has been a big issue for the team, and that is something they must improve upon in this final game.
However, they are coming up against the best defensive team in the group on Thursday as Goias have only conceded two goals throughout this process.
The visitors are in a position where they only need a draw to guarantee progression and they could technically achieve it with a defeat as well, but that would be relying upon the other match.
Instead, Armando Evangelista will be pushing his men to finish the entire group stage in the undefeated fashion that they currently find themselves in.
After three draws and two victories, Goias have put together a great run so far in the competition and finishing things in style will be the aim for the team here.
However, they will need an improved performance from their outing at the weekend where they ended up being defeated 2-0.
Team News
Moreno will be hoping he has done enough to earn a place in the starting lineup this time around after coming off the bench to score in their most recent match.
Meanwhile, Carlos Moreno was named on the substitutes' bench for the first time since sustaining an injury in April, and although he did not feature in the game, he could be an option this time around after spending more time on the training field.
Julian Palacios managed to retain his place in the Goias starting lineup at the weekend and it is likely that he will once again be part of the attack in midweek.
The flat-four at the back is something that is also going to continue for the visitors considering their impressive defensive record in this competition.
Santa Fe possible starting lineup:
Espitia; Viafara, Aja, Torres, Mosquera; Barboza, Rojas; Gonzalez, Rodallega, Enamorado; Rivas
Goias possible starting lineup:
Tadeu; Maguinho, Halter, Melo, Sander; Morelli, Willian, Ze Ricardo; Alesson, Peixoto, Palacios
We say: Santa Fe 0-1 Goias
It might be a must-not-lose match for Santa Fe, but the defensive abilities of Goias are likely going to be too much for them to break down in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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