We are almost halfway through the group stage of the 2023 Copa Libertadores, and the tournament is still giving us quite a few surprises involving teams that were not supposed to fight for the top spots in their groups. Added to that, some of the top favorites have dealed with complicated starts in the competition, which will make this week's games even more interesting.
For example, teams such as Flamengo and River Plate were supposed to dominate their groups, but they have seen some of their opponents taking the top spot in Groups A and D, respectively. Others, such as Boca Juniors, are top of their group despite the turmoil within the squad, and now they have a legit chance to own the No.1 spot if they can walk away from this week's fixtures with all the points.
Meanwhile, teams such as Fluminense, Racing Club, Nacional, Argentinos Juniors, and Atlético Nacional will try to defend their perfect runs in the competiiton when they play this week. Fluminense will have a tough tie to survive, even if they play at home, but while Nacional will make a complicated trip to Brazil and Racing hosts defending champions Flamengo, in what should be, without a doubt, one of the best games in the group stage.
Before we look into the games you don't want to miss this week, let us give you a glimpse on how each group looks like after Matchday 2.
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | |||||||||||
| 1 | Fluminense | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | WD | |
| 2 | Colo-Colo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | DLW | |
| 3 | Cerro Porteño | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | WL | |
| 4 | Alianza Lima | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 2 | DLD | |
| Group B | |||||||||||
| 1 | Talleres Córdoba | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | DW | |
| 2 | São Paulo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | WL | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | DD | |
| 4 | Cobresal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 | LD | |
| Group C | |||||||||||
| 1 | Huachipato | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 | WD | |
| 2 | Estudiantes | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | LWD | |
| 3 | The Strongest | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | LW | |
| 4 | Grêmio | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 | WLL | |
| Group D | |||||||||||
| 1 | Junior | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | DDW | |
| 2 | Universitario | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | DW | |
| 3 | LDU Quito | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | DWL | |
| 4 | Botafogo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 | LL | |
| Group E | |||||||||||
| 1 | Bolívar | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 6 | WW | |
| 2 | Flamengo | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 | WD | |
| 3 | Millonarios | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 1 | LD | |
| 4 | Palestino | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 0 | LL | |
| Group F | |||||||||||
| 1 | Palmeiras | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | WD | |
| 2 | Independiente del Valle | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 | WD | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 4 | WLD | |
| 4 | San Lorenzo | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 | LLD | |
| Group G | |||||||||||
| 1 | Atlético Mineiro | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 | WWW | |
| 2 | Rosario Central | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | DLW | |
| 3 | Peñarol | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 3 | LWL | |
| 4 | Caracas | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 1 | DLL | |
| Group H | |||||||||||
| 1 | River Plate | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 6 | WW | |
| 2 | Libertad | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | WL | |
| 3 | Nacional | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | LW | |
| 4 | Deportivo Táchira | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 | LL | |
Now, here are the top games to keep an eye on this week.
Fluminense vs River Plate - The Brazilian side make it to their ground for the second week in a row, this time facing title contenders River Plate. "Flu" will try to take advantage of River's problems away from home, even if Marcelo has been ruled as a doubt to play this game. As for the Argentines, their 4-2 win against Sporting Cristal wiill give them a boost in confidence, but it will be interesting to see how they will behave against one of the strongest teams in the tournament so far. Click on the match for more broadcast info.
Colo-Colo vs Boca Juniors - This tie will have a key influence in the outcome of this group, as both teams get to the match with four points. Colo-Colo should be considered as the favorites because of their home-field advantage, but has found a way to keep themselves in contention regardless of the controversy surrounding the team, but with Jorge Almirón at the helm, there could be better times coming for Los Xeneizes. Please click on the match for broadcast and streaming details.
Racing Club vs Flamengo - The defending champions lost their first match in the tournament and were left in a weird place considering the kind of squad they have. Now, that same team that has been considered one of the best in history will face Racing, one of the teams with a perfect record in the 2023 edition. It will be a clash of titans to put an end to this week's activity in the South American tournament, and all we can say is that this tie could easily be considered as one of the must-watch in the first round for the rivalry between Argentine and Brazilian teams, but also for the top-caliber names defending each jersey. Click on the game above for further match info and broadcast details.
