Independiente Rivadavia and Fluminense meet again on Tuesday, and this time the winner goes through. The second leg of their Copa Libertadores Round of 16 tie is level after a 0-0 first leg at the Maracana, with a quarter-final place waiting for whoever settles it at the Malvinas Argentinas Stadium in Mendoza.
The stakes are simple. A victory sends either club into the last eight against Platense or Coquimbo Unido, and Independiente Rivadavia arrive with the edge of a strong home record behind them. Alfredo Berti’s side won all three of their home games in the Libertadores group stage, have taken eight league wins at the Malvinas Argentinas Stadium and sit on 34 points from 16 domestic matches. They also finished top of Group C with 16 points from six matches, a return that underlined how hard they have been to handle in knockout-style games at home.
Jose Florentin is back after serving the suspension that ruled him out of the first leg, giving Berti another option in the middle of the pitch. Independiente Rivadavia have also already shown they can live with Fluminense this season. They beat the Brazilian side 2-1 at the Maracana in the 2026 group stage and then drew 1-1 in Mendoza, results that explain why this tie has stayed so tight even before the decisive night.
Fluminense arrive with a different kind of momentum. Luis Zubeldia was dismissed on August 13, Marcao is in temporary charge and the interim coach has already overseen a 3-2 win over Palmeiras in the Brazilian Championship. That result gives the visitors a sharper edge than the form book might suggest, but the larger body of evidence still points to trouble away from Rio de Janeiro: Fluminense have won just twice on the road in Serie A this season, and their Libertadores group-stage away record was one draw and two defeats.
There is also a hole in the visiting attack. John Kennedy is out for the season after knee surgery, while Sebastian Villa has completed his move to Boca Juniors. That leaves Alex Arce to lead the line for Independiente Rivadavia, with Matias Fernandez and Diego Salas providing support and pace in transition. The first leg did not produce a goal, and that was no accident: one side protected its home-leg risk, the other never found enough away control to force the game open. In Mendoza, one clean break or one lapse may be enough to decide who stays alive in the CONMEBOL Libertadores and who goes home.
