Preview: Flamengo vs. Estudiantes L.P. · prediction, team news, line-ups

Flamengo host Estudiantes L.P. at the Maracanã on Thursday 22 October, kicking off at 18:30 Mexico City time, in the second leg of their Libertadores semi-final. The first leg finished 0-0.

The Rubro-Negro topped Group A with 16 points. Estudiantes finished second on 9.

Match preview

Flamengo return home with the tie wide open and the chance to settle it in front of their own supporters. They won all three group-stage matches at the Maracanã, scoring eight and conceding one.

Their Group A campaign produced 16 points from six games and a goal difference of +12. On the road they recorded two wins and a draw, scoring six and conceding once.

Recent form is solid, with caveats. The Mengão beat Bahia 3-0 on 18 October, drew 0-0 in La Plata on the 16th, won 1-0 against Fluminense on the 11th and drew 2-2 with Santos on the 8th. Before that they beat RB Bragantino 2-1.

Bruno Henrique is the leading scorer with five goals. Arrascaeta has four, but he is injured, which limits the creativity available to Leonardo Jardim.

Estudiantes finished second in the group on 9 points with a goal difference of +1. At home they won twice and drew once, scoring four and conceding two.

Away from home the picture changes. They collected two draws and a defeat, scoring twice and conceding three. They did not win a single away game in the group stage.

The Pincha arrive in uneven form. They lost 2-1 to San Lorenzo on 18 October, drew 0-0 with Flamengo on the 16th, drew 2-2 with Central Cordoba on the 10th and thrashed Gimnasia 3-0 on the 5th. On 2 October they lost 1-0 to Platense in the Copa Argentina.

Guido Carrillo and T. Palacios have three goals each. Argentine reports said Estudiantes created chances to take a lead in the first leg but failed to convert them.

The recent head-to-head is tight. In the last five meetings, Flamengo have won two, Estudiantes one and two have been drawn. The Mengão won 1-0 on 21 May and the sides drew 1-1 on 30 April. In September 2025 Flamengo won 2-1 and Estudiantes won 1-0, with Flamengo advancing on penalties.

Only two goals have been scored across the three meetings in 2026. That points to another tight contest with little margin for error.

Team news

Flamengo have a lengthy injury list. Arrascaeta is recovering from a fractured left wrist. Danilo suffered a double jaw fracture and his recovery was estimated at a minimum of one month.

Ayrton Lucas and Evertton Araujo have overcome their injuries but still needed to complete their conditioning. Saul was also a doubt. Jardim admitted that none of the five had trained when the squad returned to Rio. Jorginho missed the first leg through suspension after his sending off in the quarter-finals, and one outlet projects him in the XI. There is no official confirmation.

For Estudiantes, Tomas Palacios and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez missed the first leg through yellow-card accumulation. We found no confirmation of their return. Gabriel Neves was out injured and Conmebol rejected the registration of Marcos Rojo. Joaquin Correa has recovered but began on the bench in La Plata.