Cruzeiro is battling to reach the knockout round at home in Mineirão, and the entire tournament logic is pushing the Brazilians to play cautiously and pragmatically. The team is second in Group D, just one point ahead of Boca. A draw could prove fatal, so the hosts need only a win, but the importance of the moment dictates that reliability in their penalty area is paramount. Barcelona Guayaquil long ago lost their chances of advancing from the group, with a negative goal difference of 2:8 and will arrive at Mineirão as clear underdogs.
The Ecuadorians have lost their leading scorer, Dario Benedetto, to a muscle injury, and now their already weak attack (only two goals in five group games) has lost its last leader. Moreover, Barcelona have not scored a single goal on the road in the current season (0-3 defeats to Boca and 0-2 defeats to Universidad Católica), which makes their fiasco in Mineirão even more likely.
