The group stage of the 64th edition of the Copa Libertadores CONMEBOL started at the beginning of April 2023, and the final of the tournament will take place on November 11. The fight for the trophy will take place in Rio de Janeiro at the legendary Maracanã stadium. The tournament is attended by 32 teams, which are divided into 8 groups. The clubs that take the first two places in each quartet will form pairs of the 1/8 finals.
According to bookmakers, the top four contenders for victory in this tournament include the following clubs: Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense and River Plate.
Palmeiras
Football Academy is a three-time winner of the Copa Libertadores CONMEBOL. Palmeiras won this tournament in 1999, 2020 and 2021. After three rounds in group "C", the "greenest" are on the second line with six points. Yielding in additional indicators to the Bolivian Bolívar, the Pigs are three points ahead of the Ecuadorian SC Barcelona and Cerro Porteno from Paraguay. Having lost in the opening round to the team from Bolivia, then the "green-whites" turned out to be stronger than the representatives of Ecuador and Paraguay.
The brainchild of Leyla Pereira has a strong team that can claim the championship title in the Brazilian Serie A and on the international stage. Naturally easy walks for the “greenest” should not be expected, especially in the playoffs. However, the chances of winning the fourth international trophy in the history of the club are quite good. If you want to bet on South American football and earn money, then we recommend downloading mostbet.
Flamengo
The Vultures have won the tournament three times in 1981, 2019 and 2022. In the current draw, Jorge Sampaoli's wards are in Group A and after three rounds they are on the second line in the quartet. Three points behind the Argentinean Racing, "big Mengo" is one point ahead of the Ecuadorian Aucas and the Chilean Newblense. By the equator of the group stage, the brainchild of Rodolfo Landin won and drew once, and also lost. Having scored four goals, "the most coveted in Brazil" conceded three times.
The Red-Blacks have a strong squad and have good chances to advance from the group. If they make it to the playoffs in the elimination battles, the Vultures are able to show their best side. So Flamengo is absolutely rightly considered one of the main contenders for winning an international trophy.
Fluminense
The Warrior Team has won the Copa Libertadores CONMEBOL only once in history, and that was in 2008. Since then, Fluminense has not been able to go particularly far in these competitions. In group "D" wards of Fernando Dinis look exemplary and absolutely deservedly head the standings. At the same time, Strongest, Sporting Cristal and River Plate "big Flu" are ahead by six credit points. So the issue of entering the playoffs with the "tricolor Rio" is practically resolved.
Big Flu is playing quite well this season, both on the domestic and international arena. Given the good form of the "team of warriors", it is quite possible to expect good performances from Fluminense and a possible victory in the most prestigious club tournament in South America.
River Plate
"Millionaires" perform excellently in the Argentinean Primera and after 15 rounds confidently top the standings. But in the international arena, things are not going well for River Plate. After three rounds, the "band" is in last place in the "D" quartet. At the same time, the team is inferior to the third Sporting Cristal and the second Strongest in terms of additional indicators. So the team from Buenos Aires can still aim for the second line and get a ticket to the playoffs.
The entire struggle for access to the next round of current competitions is still ahead of the “millionaires”. The composition of the "strip" is competitive and the team may well compete for the fifth trophy of the Copa Libertadores CONMEBOL, although it will be difficult to do so.
Our prediction
River Plate may not qualify from the group, so it is hardly worth expecting serious achievements from the club from Argentina on the international arena. Flamengo and Fluminense are showing good quality football and could very well reach the final. However, the red-black and tri-color Rio will most likely fail to win the trophy. Palmeiras has an incredibly strong and experienced team that is able to solve the tasks set by the management. So, the “greenest” will most likely win among the four main favorites in this tournament.