Rosario Central aim to book next-round spot, host Universidad Central | OneFootball

El Canalla, coming off a local elimination against River, will host Universidad Central de Venezuela today for Matchday 5 of Group H.

Rosario Central will host Universidad Central de Venezuela this Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m., at the Gigante de Arroyito stadium, for the fifth round of Copa Libertadores Group H. The match will be officiated by Brazilian referee Flavio De Souza and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2.

El Canalla heads into this match after a heavy blow in the Apertura Tournament, where it was eliminated in the semifinals after a 1-0 loss to River. However, it will have a quick chance to bounce back on the international stage, as it can secure qualification for the round of 16 with one match to spare.

The Rosario side put itself on course for qualification with a very strong group-stage campaign. After a scoreless draw against Independiente del Valle in the opener, it strung together three straight wins: a 1-0 victory over Libertad in Asunción, another win over the Paraguayan side in Rosario, and a 3-0 rout of Universidad Central in Caracas. Central leads the group with 10 points.

With that outlook, a draw will be enough for the Rosario team to book its place among the final 16 of the Libertadores. If it wins, it will be very close to finishing first in the group, although it will have to wait and see what happens later between Independiente del Valle and Libertad.

Universidad Central, meanwhile, has 6 points and sits third in the group. The Venezuelan side earned those points by beating Libertad 3-1 and Independiente del Valle 2-0, although it lost to Central and also to the Ecuadorian team.

For the Tricolor, the match in Rosario will also be crucial. A draw would allow it to secure, at minimum, third place and the chance to play in the Copa Sudamericana playoffs. A win, on the other hand, would put it firmly in the fight for a place in the Libertadores round of 16.

In the Venezuelan league, Universidad Central is also enjoying a strong run: it is top of Group A in the championship phase and, if it wins its two remaining matches, it will reach the final of the domestic tournament.

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