Libertad vs River Plate Prediction and Betting Tips

Libertad will host River Plate at the Estadio Tigo La Huerta on Thursday in the first leg of their 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores last-16 tie. The home side have had a mixed start to their Primera Division Clausura campaign and will hope they can find better luck elsewhere this week.

The Paraguayan outfit kicked off their group-stage run back in April with wins over Alianza Lima and Talleres, but failed to win any of their subsequent four group games. Their 2-2 draw with Alianza in their final group outing saw them finish second in Group D with nine points from an obtainable 18.

River Plate, meanwhile, have enjoyed a positive run of results domestically upon returning from the FIFA Club World Cup in June. They faced Universitario last time out in the Libertadores and played out a 1-1 draw with the Peruvian club, with Fanundo Colidio opening the scoring before their opponents leveled things up just before the interval.

The visitors finished atop their group as they went undefeated during the group stages and will be looking to pick up where they left off in the tournament this week.

Libertad vs River Plate Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

Thursday's game will mark the 15th meeting between the two teams. The home side have won four of their previous matchups while the visitors have won nine times, with their final matchup ending level.
The two teams last faced off in last season's Copa Libertadores, with River Plate winning the group-stage clash 2-0.
Libertad are without a clean sheet in their last seven games in this fixture, a run dating back to 2005.
Los Millonarios scored 12 goals in the group stages of the Libertadores this year. Only Racing Club (14) and Palmeiras have (17) scored more.

Libertad vs River Plate Prediction

Gumarelo have won three of their last four games after winning just one of their previous five. They have, however, struggled for results on home turf of late and will head into the midweek clash as underdogs.

River Plate are undefeated in their last five competitive games, picking up three wins in that period. They have had the upper hand in this fixture of late and should secure a first-leg advantage on Thursday.

Prediction: Libertad 0-1 River Plate

Libertad vs River Plate Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: River Plate to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Six of the hosts' last eight matches have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of the visitors' last seven matches)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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