🔥 All you need to know about the Sul-Americana & Libertadores semis | OneFootball

The quests for the Great Conquest and Eternal Glory resume this week.

Starting with the first semi-final of the Copa Sudamericana between Independiente del Valle and Atlético Mineiro later this Tuesday (21).

Flamengo versus Racing for the first leg of the same stage of the Libertadores will be the attraction on Wednesday (22).

Then Thursday (23) will feature the other Sudamericana semi-final, with Universidad de Chile vs. Lanús, and Palmeiras challenging LDU in Quito.

The return matches will be next week.

Check below for details of the most intense knockout stage of both tournaments.

Will Galo seek an unprecedented title?

Atlético, which is having a poor campaign in the Brasileirão, shifts its focus.

The first mission is to reach the final of the Sudamericana and then pursue a trophy never before won.

Galo is the only semi-finalist that hasn't celebrated a Sudamericana title.

Their rival Independiente del Valle has won twice (2019 and 2022). La U won in 2011 with Sampaoli, and Lanús celebrated in 2013 against Ponte Preta.

Del Valle, which has started sharing the spotlight in Ecuadorian football with LDU.

Their trophy gallery also includes a Recopa (2023), a local league (2021), a Cup (2022), and a Supercup (2023) since 2019.

They have top-notch infrastructure and reveal many players, such as Moisés Caicedo, Pacho, Hincapié, Kendry Páez, and the current Atlético player Alan Franco.

The other bracket features a La U that eliminated Alianza Lima and Lanús that dispatched Fluminense.

The Chilean team ends a long hiatus without reaching a semi-final, as the last one was in the 2012 Libertadores.

Aránguiz (37 years old) and Marcelo Díaz (38) are the links between the 2011 champion team and the current one.

Meanwhile, Granate has been close since the 2013 title.

They were runners-up in the 2017 Libertadores (defeated by Grêmio) and later frustrated by Defensa y Justicia in the 2020 Sudamericana final.

Izquierdoz was a champion in 2013 and returned to lead the club in pursuit of a new trophy.

Another Brazilian final in sight?

Brazilian football has won the last SIX Libertadores.

With FOUR all-Brazilian finals in this series that started in 2019.

Palmeiras (2020 and 2021), Flamengo (2019 and 2022), Fluminense (2023), and Botafogo (2024) have brought Brazil close to the number of Argentine football titles - something that seemed unlikely in the early 2000s.

The current ranking shows 25 titles for Argentine clubs and 24 for Brazilians.

Flamengo is seeking its fourth final since 2019 with the mission of deciding away from home once again.

They rely on the Maracanã factor to gain a good advantage over Racing, which has become a "specialist" in frustrating the ambitions of Brazilian teams.

The current Copa Sudamericana champion reached the title after defeating Athletico (quarter-finals), Corinthians (semi-finals), and Cruzeiro in the final.

And they won the Recopa this year with a 4 x 0 aggregate over Botafogo.

The other side of the bracket has Verdão in pursuit of the third final in 2020.

This mission involves a duel against an LDU that has become synonymous with trophies since surprising everyone by winning the 2008 Libertadores.

The Quito team also won two Sudamericanas (2009 and 2023) and two Recopas (2009 and 2010), calling themselves "Rey de Copas".

LDU has already dispatched two Brazilian teams in this knockout stage: the current champion Botafogo and then São Paulo.

Keep an eye on the money 💰

Each Libertadores semi-finalist secured 2.3 million dollars (R$ 12.3 million)

Reaching the final means at least another 7 million, which is the runner-up prize (R$ 37.6 million)

The champion will take home 24 million dollars (R$ 129.2 million) - not including the amount already accumulated.

Reaching the Sudamericana semis meant 800 thousand dollars (R$ 4.3 million) in the account.

The runner-up team will receive 2 million dollars (R$ 10.7 million).

And the Sudamericana winner will celebrate with 6.5 million dollars (R$ 34.9 million).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 NORBERTO DUARTE - AFP or licensors