Fortaleza vs Rosario Central Prediction: The game is still very much open

On Thursday, the return leg of the elimination round matches in the Copa Sudamericana will continue with Fortaleza and Rosario Central battling it out for a chance at the last 8 of the Prestigious Copa Sudamericana. Rosario Central qualified for the last 16 after they defeated Internacional with a 1-2 aggregate. Fortaleza on the other hand finished top of Group D. The first leg encounter ended in a 1-1 draw and both teams will be aiming for the win. Please see the carefully prepared tips. 

Fortaleza remains unbeaten in their last 10 games across all competitions. They finished top of Group D in the Copa Sudamericana with a record of 4 wins, a draw, and a loss from the 6 games played in the group stage games. In their first leg encounter against Rosario Central, Fortaleza got an early goal in the 2nd minute of the game through Marinho but they were pegged minutes later with an equalizer in the 6th minute of the game. Both teams struggled but couldn’t find the net and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. 

Fortaleza has been in outstanding form as they are currently in second place in the Brasileiro Serie A with only a point behind current league leaders Botafogo. Fortaleza has not lost a league game in their last 9 league games with 8 victories and a draw. 

Rosario Central has lost 4 games from the 11 league games they’ve played this season with an overall record of 4 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses. Their most recent league game against Independiente also ended in a 1-0 defeat. Rosario Central finished third in the Copa Libertadores and couldn’t qualify for the Round of 16, but their third place earned them a spot in the Round of 32 of the Copa Sudamericana where they proved themselves by defeating Internacional with a 1-2 aggregate. In their first leg encounter against Fortaleza, the game ended in a 1-1 draw with both teams scoring in the first 6 minutes of the game. 

Both teams are in good form but Fortaleza seems to be on fire at the moment with an amazing record in their domestic league and we side with Fortaleza for a positive outcome in this game. Fortaleza is also without a loss in their last 9 league games with a great scoring record and we believe they’ll not lose here. Fortaleza is only one step away from the Quarter-finals and we believe they’ll bring it home. A win or draw for Fortaleza and a total of over 1.5 goals is our prediction. Furthermore, in their first leg encounter the game produced over 7.5 cards due to the intense nature of the game. We expect a similar outcome here.