Dates set! Conmebol confirms Vasco's Copa Sul-Americana schedule | OneFootball

Vasco has learned in detail its schedule of commitments in the bid for a place in the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. Conmebol’s Competitions Directorate officially released the full breakdown with the dates, venues, and kickoff times for the matchups in the playoff round of the continental competition. This intermediate stage of the tournament will bring together the runners-up from the group stage against the teams eliminated from the Copa Libertadores.

The draw paired the Cruz-Maltino side with Independiente Medellín of Colombia. Having put together a better campaign in the first phase, the Rio club earned the regulatory right to decide the tie at home, bringing the decisive clash to the cauldron of São Januário in the final week of July. In total, Brazilian football will have four teams competing in the playoffs: besides the Rio side, Red Bull Bragantino, Grêmio, and Santos are also in the race.

+ Rival defined! Get to know Independiente Medellín, Vasco’s opponent in the Copa Sudamericana

Colombian logistics and the decision at São Januário

The schedule detailed by South American football’s governing body shows that the international journey of the Gigante da Colina will begin on Wednesday, July 22. The team will travel to Colombia to play the first leg on the pitch of Atanasio Girardot Stadium in Medellín, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. (Brasília time).

The big decision for a place in the next round will come exactly one week later, on the following Wednesday, July 29. The second leg is scheduled for 7 p.m. at São Januário Stadium, where the fans promise to turn up the pressure and push the squad toward qualification. If the Rio side confirms its favoritism and advances, it will join Atlético, Botafogo, and São Paulo, the Brazilian clubs that topped their original groups and secured direct qualification for the round of 16.

Copa Sudamericana playoff schedule – Photo: Reproduction

Vasco faces a tough road in pursuit of the Copa Sudamericana

The breakdown of the official bracket all the way to the final in Barranquilla shows that Vasco will have an extremely difficult path ahead. If it gets past the playoff against Independiente Medellín, the team already knows it will face traditional Paraguayan side Olimpia in the round of 16.

The outlook becomes even tougher when looking at projections for the later stages of the competition. The winner of the clash between the Rio club and the Paraguayans will meet in the quarterfinals whoever advances from the matchup between River Plate and the survivor of the playoff between Santa Fe and Caracas. On the same side of the bracket, giants such as Boca Juniors and São Paulo also loom, reinforcing the difficult road in the hunt for the trophy.

Vasco is going all in for the Copa Sudamericana title – Photo: Thiago Ribeiro/AGIF

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