In search of a miracle at Maracaná Stadium, Sporting Cristal arrived in Rio de Janeiro for their last Copa Libertadores match against Flamengo. 90 vital minutes for Roberto Mosquera's team, who, if they win against the current runner-up of the tournament, could hope to qualify for the Sudamericana.
YOU CAN SEE: Sporting Cristal: Mosquera is hopeful of defeating Flamengo in Brazil
Although Sporting Cristal is out of the fight to reach the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, they still dream of finishing third in Group H to continue competing internationally in the Copa Sudamericana.
On paper, this challenge seems impossible for Sporting Cristal, as their opponent is strong at home, undefeated in the current edition of Libertadores, and has a huge group of fans who will push their players towards victory.
Faced with this scenario, Roberto Mosquera has been working with the first team in order to find a good performance throughout the match. That being said, the expected starting eleven for the match against Flamengo would be: Alejandro Duarte, Johan Madrid, Gianfranco Chávez, Omar Merlo, Nilson Loyola, Jesús Castillo, Horacio Calcaterra, Yoshimar Yotún, Christofer Gonzales, Irven Ávila, and Percy Liza.
The lineup is quite different from Sporting Cristal's last match against Universitario in the Liga 1, where the changes start with the return of Alejandro Duarte in goal, while Leandro Sosa would be on the bench so that the Celestes have their '9' with the presence of Percy Liza.
What time does Sporting Cristal play?
The Copa Libertadores match between Sporting Cristal vs. Flamengo will take place today, Tuesday, May 24, starting at 19:30 hours in Peru (00:30 GMT).