5-02-07 - Grêmio and São Paulo Face Off at Morumbi

Grêmio and São Paulo meet tonight in the first leg of their Libertadores Cup Round of 16 matchup at Morumbi Stadium. Grêmio won Group 3 and finished as the seventh seed and thus has the advantage of playing the return leg at home. São Paulo, who finished second in Group 2, earned the eleventh seed.

São Paulo is currently in a funk. The Tricolor Paulista eliminated from the Paulista championship after a 4-1 loss a home to São Caetano. Three days later, they let first place in Group 2 slip away with another disappointing home performance, this time a 2-2 tie with Audax Italiano. Nevertheless, Mano Menezes expects a difficult game in a stadium where Grêmio has not won since 2001.

This matchup will result in a negative first for one of the clubs as neither has ever been eliminated in the Round of 16. Both clubs hold enviable playoff records in the tournament, but São Paulo definitely has the edge. The Tricolor Paulista has played in 24 playoff series, winning 20. Grêmio has played in 18 and has won 12.

History also shows the importance of obtaining a good result in the first leg. São Paulo has hosted the first leg of a Libertadores Cup playoff series ten times. Eight times it won both the game and the series. On the two occasions when the Tricolor did not win at home (1-1 tie with Once Caldas in 2004, 2-1 loss to Internacional in 2006), they also lost the series. History dictates, therefore, that Grêmio must earn at least a tie to stand a chance of advancing.