Copa Libertadores: Back 4/1 treble as Fortaleza's fortress takes centre stage

• Fortaleza are 14 unbeaten at home

• Mineiro's price too big to ignore

• Huracan must edge out Peruvians

Atletico head to Colombia

Millonarios v Atletico-MG
Thursday, 00:30

Atletico Mineiro breezed by Venezuelan outfit Carabobo with a convincing 3-1 win at home, and the Brazilians are now just two games away from returning to the Libertadores group stage.

Atletico are expected to beat Millonarios over two legs, having been the third favourites to win the Libertadores over the past two years.

The qualifiers have been far from ideal for their preparation as the Serie A shortly returns, but they have more than enough quality to get past one last opponent.

With Hulk, Eduardo Vargas and Paulinho, who's on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, in attack, Atletico should prove too strong for Millonarios over 180 minutes.

Millonarios beat Ecuador's Catolica in the last qualifying round 2-1, thanks to goals from their latest signing Leonardo Castro and Daniel Catano. Back in front of 30,000 home fans, the Colombian club will look to make it a difficult evening for Atletico.

Yet Atletico have vast experience in this competition, and currently on a 12 match unbeaten run, it would be very unlike the Brazilians to fold under pressure.

Hulk was rested last time out in preparation for his travels to Colombia, and with the 36-year-old leading the line, backing Atletico Draw No Bet at 1.738/11 appears generous.

Fortaleza to fire in first leg

Fortaleza v Cerro Porteno
Thursday, 22:00

Fortaleza's price has continued to drift since the marker first opened which is why I'm happy to put my faith in the home side.

Currently on a 14 match unbeaten run at home, which includes 12 victories, the home side will be cheered on by almost 60,000 on Thursday evening.

Cerro Porteno, who made it to last year's round of 16, are unbeaten in 12 away from home themselves, but across those matches they haven't faced anyone of Fortaleza's calibre.

The Paragayan's may have made it to the round of 16 last year, but they didn't win a single away game, losing two, drawing two and scoring just one goal.

In their last qualifier, they beat Chilean club Curico Unido 1-0 in both legs, which was largely underwhelming. They even rested seven players in between the fixtures, in order to progress to the next round.

Fortaleza, on the other hand, blew Maldonado away. A comprehensive 4-0 victory, with over 60% possession and 27 shots sent out a statement.

Thiago Galhardo set the tone, scoring his seventh goal in his last 10 matches. New signing Juan Lucero came off the bench to score a brace, and is another option the home side will have on Thursday evening.

Cerro Porteno will look to take a draw back to Paraguay, but Fortaleza will be on the hunt for a goal or two on home soil.

Backing Fortaleza and under 4.5 match goals at 1.834/5 looks a fair price.

Huracan to make home advantage count

Huracan v Sporting Cristal
Friday, 00:00


The Argentinian club effectively "got the job done" against Boston River in the last round, but largely disappointed with the 1-0 scoreline.

However, it extended their unbeaten run to nine in all competitions, while they are 13 unbeaten on home soil.

Sporting Cristal are no strangers to the Libertadores, and proved how dangerous they can be at home, overturning a 2-0 defeat to Nacional with a 5-1 masterclass back in Peru.

Yet one away win in their last 17 Libertadores matches, as well as losing their last five doesn't bode well for their trip to Argentina on Friday.

Huracan's Matias Coccaro has scored in his last two matches, and appears to be the club's main threat. Goals hadn't been an issue for the club until recent weeks, which is why Sporting Cristal will look to frustate their opponents and look to take a respectable scoreline back home.

Huracan must take advantage of the first leg, with a trip to Peru looking less appealing after Sporting's 5-1 romp over Nacional.

A victory, narrow or not, is the minimum expected for the Argentines.

Copa Libertadores treble