Ceara vs The Strongest Match Analysis and Prediction

Ceara play host to The Strongest at Castelao for the second leg of their Copa Sudamericana tie, with both sides looking to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.

The hosts are heading into the contest with a narrow lead having claimed a 2-1 victory in Bolivia last week.

Ceara managed to secure their spot in the knockout rounds of the Copa Sudamericana after winning every group-stage matches.

The Brazilian outfit scored 17 goals and only conceded once as they dominated their group to set up a last-16 tie.

Vozao’s winning run in the competition looked set to end in the first leg after Luciano Ursino gave The Strongest an early lead in the fifth minute. However, Erick restored parity in the second half before Ze Roberto netted the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.

Ceara followed that result with a 1-1 draw with Internacional in the Brasileiro, ensuring they have lost just one of their last 16 matches across all competitions.

Despite aiming for an eighth consecutive victory in the Copa Sudamericana, Marquinos Santos’ side will be fully aware that a draw on Wednesday will prove enough to secure their progress to the quarter-finals.

On the other hand, The Strongest dropped down to the Copa Sudamericana after finishing third in their Copa Libertadores group.

While Christian Diaz’s side picked up five points from their home group matches, their three away games yielded just one point.

Following their poor away form, the Bolivian outfit had to settle for third place, finishing the group phase behind Atletic Paranaense and Libertad.

Their first match in the Copa Sudamericana since August 2013 ended in a 2-1 defeat, and after losing 3-0 to Oriente Petrolero in their domestic league on Sunday, The Strongest head into the contest off the back of three successive defeats.

Ceara vs The Strongest head to head

The two teams have previously met on just one occasion in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 tie, where Ceara claimed a 2-1 away win. They meet for the second time in a competitive match in the second leg f the same competition.

The Strongest 1-2 Ceara 30/06/22

Ceara latest home form

Ceara have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their eight most recent matches. They played out a 1-1 draw with Internacional in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded three.

Ceara 6-0 General Caballero JLM 18/05/22

Ceara 1-1 Coritiba 05/06/22

Ceara 0-0 Atletico Mineiro 16/06/22

Ceara 1-1 Atletico Goianiense 27/06/22

Ceara 1-1 Internacional 03/07/22

Ceara latest away form

Ceara have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having lost just one of their nine most recent matches. They defeated The Strongest 2-1 in their last away game in the Copa Sudamericana. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded four.

America Mineiro 0-2 Ceara 09/06/22

Goias 1-1 Ceara 12/06/22

Cuiaba 0-0 Ceara 19/06/22

Fortaleza 2-0 Ceara 23/06/22

The Strongest 1-2 Ceara 30/06/22

The Strongest latest home form

The Strongest have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having lost each of their two most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Ceara in their last home game in the Copa Sudamericana. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and conceded six.

The Strongest 1-0 Aurora 21/05/22

The Strongest 4-0 Royal Pari 02/06/22

The Strongest 2-1 Atletico Palmaflor 04/06/22

The Strongest 0-3 Bolivar 12/06/22

The Strongest 1-2 Ceara 30/06/22

The Strongest latest away form

The Strongest have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their seven most recent matches. They lost 3-0 to Oriente Petrolero in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded eight.

Caracas 0-0 The Strongest 18/05/22

Libertad 4-1 The Strongest 27/05/22

Royal Pari 0-3 The Strongest 30/05/22

Atletico Palmaflor 1-2 The Strongest 08/06/22

Oriente Petrolero 3-0 The Strongest 03/07/22

Ceara news

Rodrigo Lindoso has missed the last three matches and is ineligible to feature here, with Erick also unavailable following a surgery for an injury he sustained against Internacional.

Cleber, Lucas Ribeiro, Joao Ricardo and Bruno Pacheco could feature in the squad after missing the last two matches due to COVID-19.

The Strongest news

Gonzalo Castillo has started the last two games for the visitors, and he is extected to partner Adrian Jusino in the centre of defence for this contest.

Enrique Triverio will lead the line for The Strongest as he looks to add to the six goals he has scored this season.

Prediction and Odds

The Strongest head into the contest knowing that they need to win to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.

However, their quest for a victory could leave them vulnerable defensively, which could leave Ceara on the advantage of finding the back of the net and claiming a second-leg win.

Odds: 1 2.15 X 2.05 2 2.26

Probable outcomes

Ceara 1-0 The Strongest

Ceara 2-0 The Strongest

Ceara 2-1 The Strongest

Ceara 0-0 The Strongest

Ceara 1-1 The Strongest