The winner advances directly to the group stage of Copa Libertadores 2025
Dos clubes históricos del fútbol sudamericano se encuentran en Asunción este sábado cargando décadas de ambición insatisfecha: Racing y Cruzeiro disputan la final de la Copa Sudamericana 2024, un título que ninguno ha conquistado pese a haber levantado la Libertadores en el pasado. Más allá del trofeo, el ganador asegura su lugar en la Copa Libertadores 2025, lo que convierte este partido en una decisión que moldeará el destino de ambas instituciones durante el año venidero. En el fútbol, como en la historia, hay momentos que no se repiten, y el estadio General Pablo Rojas será testigo de uno de ellos.
- Ninguno de los dos clubes ha ganado jamás la Sudamericana, y esa ausencia en sus vitrinas pesa más con cada temporada que pasa.
- Asunción ha sido tomada por las hinchadas de ambos equipos durante días, convirtiendo la ciudad en un escenario de tensión festiva y expectativa colectiva.
- Racing llega como favorito con Gustavo Costas al mando, un técnico que no ha dormido en tres días y que ve en la unidad del grupo su mayor arma frente a un Cruzeiro sólido y bien organizado.
- Fernando Diniz, campeón de la Libertadores con Fluminense, ha diseñado un plan específico para neutralizar a Juan Fernando Quintero, el cerebro del juego de Racing.
- El ganador no solo se lleva el trofeo: obtiene clasificación directa a la fase de grupos de la Copa Libertadores 2025, un premio que redefine el horizonte deportivo y económico del club por un año entero.
Racing y Cruzeiro llegan a Asunción este sábado 23 de noviembre con una deuda pendiente: ninguno ha ganado la Copa Sudamericana, pese a que ambos tienen títulos de Copa Libertadores en su historia. El estadio General Pablo Rojas, con capacidad para 45.000 espectadores, será el escenario de una final que se transmitirá por ESPN y Disney Plus en toda América Latina. El ganador, además del trofeo, obtiene clasificación directa a la fase de grupos de la Copa Libertadores 2025.
Racing entra como favorito en las casas de apuestas. Su entrenador, Gustavo Costas, ha confesado no haber dormido en tres días, absorbido por la intensidad del momento y por ayudar a los hinchas a conseguir entradas. Para él, la unidad en las tribunas es el reflejo de lo que construyó en el campo. El eje de su sistema es Juan Fernando Quintero, el mediocampista colombiano cuya creatividad y participación en todas las fases del juego lo convierten en el jugador más determinante del equipo.
Del otro lado, Fernando Diniz llega con la experiencia de haber ganado la Libertadores el año pasado con Fluminense. Ha estudiado a Racing con detenimiento y sabe que Quintero no es el único peligro: Adrian Martínez, Maximiliano Salas, Santiago Sosa y Gastón Martirena también forman parte de una maquinaria táctica bien aceitada. Su desafío es desorganizar ese sistema sin perder el control del mediocampo.
El único antecedente entre ambos clubes data de la fase de grupos de la Libertadores 2018, donde cada equipo ganó en casa. No hay ventaja psicológica clara para ninguno. El árbitro uruguayo Esteban Ostojich dirigirá el partido, con Leodan González a cargo del VAR. Lo que ocurra el sábado en Asunción marcará el rumbo de ambas instituciones durante el año que viene.
Two South American football clubs arrived in Asunción this week carrying the weight of decades-old ambitions. Racing and Cruzeiro will meet on Saturday, November 23, at the General Pablo Rojas Stadium to contest the Copa Sudamericana final—a match that neither team has won before, despite both having claimed the continent's premier trophy, the Copa Libertadores, in the distant past. The stadium, built to hold 45,000 spectators, sits at the center of a city transformed by the tournament's fervor. Fans from both clubs have flooded the streets for days, and the Conmebol Fan Fest sprawls across the avenues, a visible reminder that this is not merely a match but a coronation waiting to happen.
The kickoff comes at 3 p.m. Peru time on Saturday—5 p.m. in Argentina and Brazil—and will be broadcast across Latin America on ESPN and Disney Plus. For both Racing and Cruzeiro, the stakes extend beyond the trophy itself. The winner advances directly to the group stage of the Copa Libertadores 2025, a prize that shapes the calendar and resources of a club for an entire year. This is not incidental; it is the reason both teams have fought through the tournament's rounds with such intensity.
Racing enters as the betting favorite. Their coach, Gustavo Costas, is a man consumed by the moment. He has barely slept in three days, he said this week, but he welcomes the insomnia as part of the experience. He has spent those sleepless hours helping supporters secure tickets, understanding that unity in the stands mirrors unity on the pitch. Costas knows Cruzeiro will not be an easy opponent. They are not as individually gifted as Corinthians, whom Racing defeated earlier in the tournament, but they are resilient and earned their place in the final on merit. Racing's strength lies in its collective discipline and in the brilliance of Juan Fernando Quintero, the Colombian playmaker whose technical gifts and involvement in every phase of play make him the engine of Costas's system.
Fernando Diniz, Cruzeiro's manager, arrives in Asunción fresh from winning the Copa Libertadores last season with Fluminense. He has studied Racing carefully and understands that Quintero is only one piece of a well-constructed machine. Diniz identified Adrian Martínez, Maximiliano Salas, Santiago Sosa, and Gastón Martirena as players of considerable quality, all shaped by Costas's tactical vision. The Brazilian coach's task is to disrupt that vision without surrendering the midfield entirely—a balance that will determine the match.
The two clubs have met only once before, in the Copa Libertadores group stage in 2018. Each won at home: Cruzeiro prevailed 2-1 in their stadium, while Racing won 4-2 in theirs. Both advanced to the knockout rounds, a result that suggests neither team has a clear psychological edge heading into Saturday. The betting markets reflect Racing's slight advantage, with odds ranging from 2.35 to 2.41 across major sportsbooks, while Cruzeiro sits between 3.10 and 3.30. An Uruguayan referee, Esteban Ostojich, will oversee the match, with Leodan González managing the VAR system.
Cruzeiro carries two Copa Libertadores titles in their history, while Racing has one. Yet both are chasing their first Sudamericana crown, a gap in their respective legacies that has grown more conspicuous with each passing year. The tournament has been won by Liga de Quito, Boca Juniors, Independiente, and Athletico Paranaense twice each, and by a dozen other clubs once. Racing and Cruzeiro are determined to join that list. What unfolds on Saturday will reshape the trajectory of both clubs for the year ahead.
Citas Notables
I haven't slept in three days, but I want to live it this way. I've helped many people get tickets because we all need to be together.— Gustavo Costas, Racing coach
Quintero is an internationally known player. Racing has other great players to be careful about: Adrián Martínez, Maximiliano Salas, Santiago Sosa, Gastón Martirena. They are very well trained by Gustavo Costas.— Fernando Diniz, Cruzeiro coach
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does this particular trophy matter so much? Both teams have won bigger competitions before.
The Sudamericana is the second-tier continental tournament, but winning it gives you a direct path into the Copa Libertadores group stage next year. That's not just prestige—it's months of preparation time and financial resources. For a club like Racing or Cruzeiro, that's the difference between competing and scrambling.
Gustavo Costas says he hasn't slept in three days. Is that just coach talk, or is there something real happening there?
It sounds like he's genuinely living inside the moment. He's helping fans get tickets, he's thinking about nothing else. That kind of total immersion can either sharpen a team or exhaust it. Costas seems to believe it's sharpening them.
What's the actual tactical problem Diniz has to solve?
Quintero. He's everywhere for Racing—he's the link between defense and attack, he makes things happen. Diniz has to either mark him so tightly that Racing's shape breaks, or accept that Quintero will have space and hope his own team can score more. There's no clean answer.
These teams played each other in 2018. Does that history matter?
Not really. They split the matches—each won at home. That tells you they're evenly matched, but it doesn't predict anything about Saturday. Six years is a long time in football. Different players, different coaches, different circumstances.
What happens to the loser?
They don't get the automatic Copa Libertadores spot. They'll have to qualify through their domestic league or another route. For a club's season, that's a significant setback.