Olimpia vs Fluminense: The Paraguayans can win at least one half

Two previous CL quarter-finalists meet in the final stage of the Copa Libertadores qualifiers. What a shame and, judging from the result of the first leg, Paraguayan Olimpia will have to forfeit their place in the group stage of South America's most prestigious tournament. On the one hand, this is unfortunate, but on the other hand, there will undoubtedly be a real fight in Asunción, because the title-winning Paraguayans will not simply give up their place in the group stage.

Before the game against Fluminense, Olimpia managed to knock two clubs out of the Copa Libertadores qualification, namely Cesar Vallejo from Peru and Atletico Nacional from Colombia. But the Paraguayan side failed to make an impact in Rio, although Olimpia scored in the 16th minute at the Maracana. In the national championship, Olimpia finished only fourth, but in the last round, the in-form hosts secured a vital 2-0 win over arch-rivals Cerro Porteño. Overall, since the start of the season, Olimpia have only had one defeat against the Flu, with six wins and three draws. That is not to say that Olimpia is in poor form.

After a reasonably successful season last season, Fluminense made good money on transfers by selling Kayky and Metinho. Marcos Paulo and Miguel departed as free agents for Atlético de Madrid and Leipzig respectively. The departures have been replaced by new players, but of course, there is no certainty that the newcomers will be able to fully replace the departees. However, so far, Flu have been doing very well with the results. True, the Brazilian championship has not yet started, the Tricolor are also playing in the state championship of Carioca, where they are leading with a two-point gap to Flamengo after 11 rounds played. Fluminense started the Copa Libertadores qualification from the second round and has already managed to knock Colombia's Millonarios out of the draw. It should be noted that a defeat in Asuncion might be enough for Fluminense, but considering the excellent form of the Tricolor, we still expect some action from the visitors in this Paraguayan game.

Olimpia need not just a win, but a two-goal lead. In other words, to count on qualifying for the group stage, the Paraguayan side needs to score at least two goals and hope that Fluminense, who are in excellent form, will not score in return. In such a difficult situation, it is unlikely that Olimpia will emerge victoriously, but one wouldn't be surprised if the Paraguayans won at least one half, and perhaps the entire game. All the more, it is strategically important not to lose by a margin of two goals or more, and a minimum defeat for the Brazilians in Paraguay would be completely satisfactory. With this in mind, we'd like to place the following bets for the central match of the Copa Libertadores qualification: Club Olimpia To Win At Least One Half - Yes for 1.87, W1 for 2.75, correct score 2:1 for 9.50.