Santos eye Sudamericana quarter-finals and first three-win run of the year | OneFootball

Having climbed out of the Brasileirão relegation zone, Santos visit Macará in Ambato on Thursday seeking a Copa Sudamericana quarter-final place. Kick-off at Estadio Bellavista is 19:00 Brasília time.

They won the first leg 2-1 at Vila Belmiro last week, so a draw will take them through. According to Globo.com, a victory would also bring their first three-match winning run of the season under Cuca.

Santos have not managed three straight wins since the closing stretch of last year’s Brasileirão, an eight-month wait.

Then, with Juan Pablo Vojvoda in charge, they beat Sport, Juventude and Cruzeiro, all 3-0. The late surge secured 12th place with 47 points, a Sudamericana berth and a return to international competition.

This is their third attempt this season to string three wins together, the previous two also coming under Cuca.

On 10 May they beat Bragantino 2-0 at Vila Belmiro, then won 2-0 away to Coritiba three days later in the Copa do Brasil fifth phase to reach the last 16. The sequence ended on 17 May with a 3-0 loss to Coritiba at Neo Química Arena in round 16 of the league.

Late in May they added two more home victories, 3-0 over Deportivo Cuenca to finish the Sudamericana group stage and reach the play-off for the last 16, then 3-1 against Vitória before the World Cup pause. It ended on 16 July with a 2-1 defeat to Botafogo as the Brasileirão resumed.

Source: Globo.com

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