After lasting for over one year, the 2020 edition of the Copa Libertadores will finally produce a winner.
The season, which was punctuated a lot by the pandemic, will see its final game played this weekend.
The journey to this final has been as dramatic as anyone could predict. Although only one knockout game (from the quarter-final downwards) required penalties, teams fought tooth and nail to progress.
From the reigning champions getting knocked out by Racing, River Plate almost pulling off a semi-final comeback, this season will be remembered for a lot of reasons.
No doubt, the final is also another reason why this season won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
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Up until the 1990’s, Brazilian sides didn’t have much luck in the Copa Libertadores. But since the turn of that decade, – and the ones that have followed – the Brazilians have dominated this competition. Between 1992 and 2019, only seven times did a Brazilian team fail to make the final of this competition.
This final, between two Brazilian clubs, is a repeat of what went down in the final of the 2005 and 2006 editions. With both sides no stranger to how they play, you can expect fireworks in Maracana when these two face off.
With an average of five goals per game, how many goals will they score in this final?
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Two of the last six meetings between these two sides have ended without goals. With no second leg for this final, a draw between both sides will see the game decided via penalties. But this will not perturb Palmeiras who will be well aware of their recent success over Santos.
Neymar’s former side, Santos, have only defeated Palmeiras once in their last 11 attempts. That same run of games has seen them suffer six defeats. It’s no wonder that Santos have been priced at 3.50 odds to win this Copa Libertadores final.
Will any player receive a red card in this game?
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The last time both sides clashed, four goals were scored and six yellow cards shown. While the goals may not be a constant feature in the games between these two sides, the cards are a regular. And this is thanks, in part, to the feistiness that has always shown itself in this game.
When facing each other, both sides have received at least five cards. And this has happened in eight of their last 10 meetings. With the Copa Libertadores trophy on the line, you can expect that players will be all in for this one. Which of these two teams do you think will come out on top in this clash: Palmeiras or Santos?
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