Independiente Valle will welcome Flamengo to Estadio Banco Guayaquil for the first leg of their Recopa Sudamericana on Tuesday (February 22). The two-legged affair is the Supercopa Sudamericana between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana.
The hosts booked their place in the Recopa after a 2-0 win over Brazil’s Sao Paulo in the Copa Sudamericana final in October 2022. Meanwhile, Flamengo won their third Copa Libertadores title with a 1-0 win over Athletic Paranaense in the final in October. Gabriel Barbosa scored the winner in stoppage time of the first half.
The Rubro-Negre enters the Recopa with a 2-0 victory in Resende in the Campeonato Carioca. Matheus Goncalves and Andre Luiz scored second-half goals to help the weakened side to victory. Independiente, meanwhile, has not been in action since beating Aucas 3-0 in the Ecuadorian Super Cup a fortnight ago.
Independiente Valle vs Flamengo Head-to-head and key numbers
- This will be the fifth meeting between the two teams, with Flamengo leading 2-1.
- Their most recent meeting was in the 2020 Copa Libertadores. They also met in the 2020 Recopa Sudamericana, which Flamengo won 5-2 on aggregate.
- Flamengo have won four of their last five matches in different competitions.
- Five of Flamengo’s last seven competitive matches have produced at least three goals, with both teams scoring on four occasions.
- Their last four meetings have produced at least three goals. However, one team failed to score on three occasions.
- Flamengo have scored at least two goals in five of their last six games in competitions.
Independent Valle vs Flamengo Prediction
Flamengo has been the most consistent South American team in recent years and will be looking to win their second crown in the Recopa Sudamericana. This will be a repeat of the 2020 clash, which Flamengo won.
Meanwhile, the new season of the Ecuadorian Football League is yet to begin, but Independiente returned to competitive action with a comfortable victory in the Super Cup two weeks ago.
Their lack of competitive action could be detrimental to their chances against Flamengo, who could claim a tight win with goals at both ends.
prediction: Independiente Valle 1-2 Flamengo
Independent Valle vs Flamengo Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Flamengo to win
Tip 2: Both teams score
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals