LDU Quito and Mirassol will meet again on Thursday in Quito with their Copa Libertadores round-of-16 tie still locked at 1-1. The winner goes through to the quarter-finals. If neither side can settle it in 90 minutes, the place in the last eight will be decided by a penalty shootout.
That is why the search for LDU Quito vs Mirassol is spiking now: the second leg is not a routine return match, but a direct knockout. LDU Quito will host at Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, where they won all of their home games during the Libertadores group stage and beat Mirassol 2-0 in Quito, a record that gives them a clear edge on paper.
They also arrive with one practical advantage beyond the crowd and the setting. LDU Quito preserved almost their entire starting line-up at the weekend, which should leave them fresher for a match that can change their season in one night. Jose Quintero will not be part of that push, though. He is out for the remainder of the season after surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament.
Mirassol have already shown they can live with LDU Quito, even if only for one leg. The Brazilian side held on for a 1-1 draw at home in the opening match of the tie, leaving everything level heading into Quito. They also arrive in poor form, without a win in five matches and after a 5-1 loss to Flamengo in the Brasileirao, a run that makes the margin for error in the Andes much smaller.
That is the friction in this tie. LDU Quito have the home record, the altitude and the memory of beating Mirassol 2-0 in the Libertadores group stage, but the scoreline that matters most remains tied. Mirassol have already scored once in the series, and one more away goal of control, not necessarily dominance, would be enough to drag the match toward penalties.
The next step is simple and unforgiving. On Thursday, LDU Quito and Mirassol will either settle the quarter-final place in regulation or leave it to a shootout, with no room left for the balance of the first leg to protect either side.
