Rio de Janeiro awaits Estudiantes with the Maracanã set to frame one of the club’s most significant continental nights in a generation. Alexander Medina’s side travel to face Flamengo in the second leg knowing that a place in the Copa Libertadores final would end a 17-year wait for a return to the competition’s decisive occasion.
The La Plata club have treated the journey to Brazil as the priority. Estudiantes were beaten 2-1 by San Lorenzo last weekend after making changes to protect players for the return against Flamengo. Their domestic form has been uneven: they stand tenth in Zone A on 14 points, currently outside the playoff places.
Continental football has offered a different kind of stage for the Pincha. In the first meeting, Estudiantes showed they could limit Flamengo’s attacking strengths, and they now seek to reproduce that discipline in Rio while pursuing a result with the weight of club history behind it.
Rojo cleared for the Maracanã
Medina has received an important defensive boost before the return. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has cleared Marcos Rojo to play after Estudiantes appealed against an earlier Conmebol decision.
The defender is expected to replace Ramiro Funes Mori, who started the first leg. His availability gives Estudiantes added experience for a demanding evening in Brazil, where the visitors will attempt to turn a competitive opening encounter into a route back to the Libertadores final.
