Santos face Deportivo Cuenca in the final Group D game of the Copa Sudamericana at the Estadio Urbano Caldeira on Wednesday morning with their campaign on the line. Santos are rock-bottom in the group and need maximum points to keep any chance alive of reaching the knockout phase.
The pressure on Santos is sharper because they are the only Brazilian team yet to win a match in CONMEBOL competitions in 2026. They have taken four points from a possible 15 in those fixtures, and their domestic picture is no calmer after a 3-2 loss to Gremio last Saturday, when Gabriel Barbosa scored twice for Santos and Carlos Vinicius answered with two goals for Gremio. Santos sit 17th in the Brasileirao with 18 points from 17 matches, a position that leaves little room for another setback.
Deportivo Cuenca arrive with a very different recent run. They are unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions, drew 1-1 with LDU last Saturday in LigaPro and remain inside the top four of the LigaPro standings. In the Copa Sudamericana, they have drawn three straight games, including the 2-2 meeting with Recoleta on May 20, and they go into this trip second in Group D with six points from five matches. They are one point above third-placed Recoleta, and a draw in Baixada Santista could be enough to secure a playoff spot if the other group fixture breaks their way.
Santos also have to manage a thin squad. Neymar is out with a calf muscle injury in his right leg suffered against Coritiba on May 17 and is expected to remain sidelined until the Brazilian national team reports for the World Cup. Lucas Verissimo is suspended after picking up his third yellow card of the campaign against San Lorenzo last time out, while Rollheiser, Thaciano, Joao Schmitdt and Gabriel Menino are all recovering from injuries. Deportivo Cuenca, by contrast, get Patricio Boolsen back after he served a suspension against Recoleta.
That contrast matters because this is not just a meeting between a team chasing survival in Group D and one trying to protect its position. Santos are in a difficult domestic stretch and inside the Brasileirao relegation zone, while Deportivo Cuenca have turned consistency into a foothold in both league and continental play. By the end of Wednesday morning, one side could still be alive in the competition and the other could be left with another missed chance that deepens an already rough year.
