Alex Sandro caught the eye earlier in the year in the South American Youth Championship, and the young Brazilian is likely to start on the left side of defence on Wednesday night. Santos secured a narrow 1-0 win at home in the first leg last week, and are now looking to finish the job and reach the final.
Speaking to O Povo, Alex Sandro accused the Paraguayans of a dirty playing style, but also backed his side to progress: “The Libertadores is always full of emotion. The Paraguayan team kicks far too much…they commit lots of fouls, but Santos have experience and we will be focused on doing our job.
“We have played there before and I think we will be more relaxed this time,” he continued, referring to the group stage match played between the two in April, which Santos won 2-1. “I think that we will have space to play and the opportunity to take advantage on the counter-attack.”
A lone strike from Edu Dracena gave Santos the win in last Wednesday’s first leg meeting, and they are hoping to win their first Libertadores since 1963. Should they defeat Cerro Porteno, they will play either Velez Sarsfield of Argentina or Uruguay’s Penarol in the final.
