The Copa Libertadores group stage is set with the qualifiers done now and the group stage set to start on Tuesday, April 7. Flamengo is the defending champion of the competition from last season and they have been the most dominant club in recent years with 3 Copa Libertadores Titles over the last 7 years. The competition has seen a different winner over the last 3 straight seasons, but Brasil has also dominated the competition with a Brasilian club winning each of the last 7 seasons. Even with all of this dominance from Brasilian clubs in recent years, there are still plenty of good clubs who are going to make noise early on in the group stage , so there is lots of value to be had with group betting props. Now with the start of the group stage just around the corner, it is time to see where the value is in these groups.
Group Winners
Group B: Group B consists of Nacional +175, Universitario +200, Coquimbo Unido +400, and Deportes Tolima +400. Nacional is coming off of a great season, finishing 2nd place in their domestic league. They are off to a good start in their league this season as well, but they were awful in Copa Libertadores last year. They finished at the bottom of their group last season and did not even make the Copa Sudamericana cut, but there is going to be a focus on doing better in their group this season. They had a very fortunate draw this season as they are in one of the weakest groups with no club from Brasil or Argentina. Last season was also more of an anomaly for them as they have finished in 2nd place of their Copa Libertadores group in 2 of the last 3 seasons, and now they do not have a powerhouse club ahead of them. Nacional is the best team in this group this season with Universitario being the biggest threat, but Universitario is a team with a very good defense that cannot score goals and they have struggled to pick up wins in the group stage the last few years. Nacional has the quality to edge Universitario out in this group and they are much better than the other 2 clubs as well. Nacional at +175 to win Group B.
Group C: Group C consists of Fluminense -300, Bolívar +450, Independiente Rivadavia +550, and Deportivo La Guaira +5000. Fluminense is the big favorite in this group as they are the club from Brasil and have the best squad in the group, but they are not one of the more dominant clubs in Brasil like the 2 that run the league and they have the potential to slip up here. They have won their group the last 3 seasons they have been in Copa Libertadores, but 2 of those years only saw them win 3 matches in the group stage as they did dominate those groups, and they also missed Copa Libertadores altogether last season. Bolivar is going to be a big threat in this group as they have the experience of performing well in the group stage every year. They finished in 3rd place of their group last season and did not advance to the knockouts, but that is only going to make them push harder to advance this season. They actually won their group over Flamengo the season prior in 2024 and they have finished in the top 2 of the group 2 of the last 3 seasons. Bolivar is also going to be more motivated here as they have spent the last 4 seasons they have been in Copa Libertadores with Flamengo or Palmeiras in their group, but now they have an easier draw and they also have a very strong home advantage as they play in one of the highest elevations in the world. Independiente Rivadavia is off to a great start in the LPF this season and they have been one of the better teams so far, but they were just promoted to the LPF less than 3 years ago and they do not have the experience playing in this competition. This group is going to be a 2 horse race and if Fluminense slips up at all, Bolivar will be right there to steal the group from them. Bolivar at +450 to win Group C.
Group D: Group D consists of Cruzeiro -106, Boca Juniors +140, Barcelona Guayaquil +850, and Universidad Catolica +1600. Cruzeiro is coming off of a great season as they finished in 3rd place in the Brasileirao, but they have had an awful start to this season and find themselves at the bottom of the league. They were expected to be a contender in the Brasileirao this season, but a bad start has put them well out of the race and they could spend a lot of the season just trying to dig themselves out so they can stay up in Serie A. It is still early in the season for them, but their poor start could cause them to lose focus in this competition as they will need to focus more on league matches, and winning the group might not be as big of a priority. This is not an easy group either as Boca Juniors is next on the list and they have had a very good start to the season in Argentina. They did not win the league last season and they are not leading the league this season either, but they still have one of the better squads in the whole country and they are the best team from Argentina suited for this competition. They have the potential to make a deep run with a very good defense that does not concede a lot and that is going to make them a big threat to winning this group. The other 2 clubs in the group do not have the quality that these 2 giants have, but Barcelona Guayaquil is a team that has a lot of experience playing in this competition every year and they are good enough to cause some problems for the other clubs and make this group not so cut and dry. Boca Juniors at +140 to win Group D.
Group E: Group E consists of Corinthians +130, Penarol +210, Santa Fe +280, and Platense +1200. Corinthians is one of the bigger clubs in all of Brasil, but they have not been a dominant club in recent years. They have not really been a threat in the Brasileirao for years and they have struggled in this competition as well. They are not off to a great start this season either and they are a team that tends to pick up a lot of draws which is not going to help in this group stage. They have a very good defense that does not concede a lot of goals, but they also have an awful attack that struggles to score goals and that will lead to more draws which will not get them the points needed to win a group in the group stage. They are not a dominant Brasilian club which is going to open this group up to some of the other clubs, and Penarol is a great option to win this group over Corinthians. Penarol has finished in the top 2 of their Copa Libertadores group the last 2 seasons and they have made some deep runs as well. They have also been one of the better teams in Uruguay over the years and they have what it takes to win this group. Santa Fe is right behind Penarol in the odds, but Santa Fe is not nearly as strong as Penarol. Santa Fe has not had a great start to this season either and they are also coming off of a season where they were not the dominant club in their own domestic league. Corinthians will struggle to gain points in this group through draws and Penarol has the quality to steal this group from them. Penarol at +210 to win Group E.
Group G: Group G consists of Mirassol +175, Lanus +200, LDU Quito +220, and Always Ready +1000. Mirassol is the favorite in this group as they are the only club from Brasil, but this is a ridiculous line for them. They are coming off of a great season as they finished 4th place in the Brasileirao after being a newly promoted club, but that was also their 1st ever season in the Brasileirao and they put a lot into that. They have lost a lot of the quality that made them so good last season and they are already off to an awful start in the Brasileirao this season, so this might not be a competition they are focused on as they could be fighting relegation in their own domestic league. Mirassol is not the best team in this group either as there is a very good club from Argentina who is shaping up to be one of the better teams in their league this season, and they are also the Copa Sudamericana champions from last year. Lanus is going to be a threat in this group as they have a very potent attack that can score their way out of trouble. Lanus does not have a great defense though and that is going to be a problem for them in some of their matches. This is also their 1st time being back in Copa Libertadores since 2017 so they do not have the experience of playing in this competition in recent years. This is also a very tough group as there is another team who is going to be a threat as well. LDU Quito is one of the bigger clubs in Ecuador and they have had a lot of success in South American competitions in recent years. They have been one of the more dominant teams in their own domestic league and they are coming off of a season in which they won their Copa Libertadores group over Flamengo who went on to win it all. LDU Quito also has some experience as they have won a Copa Sudamericana Title in the last few seasons, and they were also the last club from Ecuador to win a Copa Libertadores Title. LDU Quito has a better squad than Mirassol does and they also have the quality to edge out Lanus as they are the much better team defensively and have a strong home advantage with elevation as well. LDU Quito at +220 to win Group G.
Group H: Group H consists of Independiente del Valle +115, Rosario Central +125, Libertad Asuncion +500, and UCV +5000. Independiente del Valle has been one of the better teams in Ecuador over the last few years, finishing at the top of their league table the last 2 seasons and getting off to a great start this season as well. They have some experience making runs in these competitions as well and they have won a Copa Sudamericana Title in the last few years. They certainly have the strongest squad in this group with no real powerhouse team and they have a very good defense and home advantage to help them pick up points in this group. They have finished in 3rd place of their Copa Libertadores group 4 of the last 5 seasons, but they did win their group once in that span and are playing in a much weaker group that they can dominate this season. UCV is the best team in Venezuela right now, but Venezuela is one of the weakest leagues in all of South America and their teams have struggled to go far in this tournament. Libertad has also been a very inconsistent team over the years and they never make a run even when they find their way out of the group stage. The only real threat would be Rosario Central who is a very good team from Argentina with a very good defense as well, but their attack has struggled to score goals and that could lead to more draws in this group stage which will not get them the points needed to win the group. Independiente del Valle at +115 to win Group H.
Group Qualification
Universitario Yes -125: Universitario is 2nd in the odds to win Group B and they have a very good chance at advancing, even if it is in 2nd place. They are in one of the weakest groups as they do not have a club from Brasil or Argentina in their group. They have a very good defense that is going to help them avoid losses and they have the quality to beat out the other 2 teams behind them as they do have some experience from previous years in this competition. The other 2 clubs also play in weaker leagues so Nacional is the only real threat in this group as they are the favorite, but even Nacional is not a dominant team in the group. Nacional has been one of the better teams in their league recently, but they were not the best team last season and they could still get upset in this group. They also finished in last place of their group last season which was a bit of a surprise, so the door is open for Universitario to possibly win this group as well. Universitario at -125 to qualify out of the group.
Penarol Yes -125: Penarol was already mentioned earlier as a possible group winner for Group E so for all of the same reasons here, there is some value in taking them at this price to qualify out of the group. Penarol at -125 to qualify out of the group.
Cerro Porteno Yes +162: Cerro Porteno has been one of the better teams in Paraguay over the last few years and they have also been very good in this competition over the years. They have finished in 2nd place of their domestic league the last 4 straight seasons, finishing right behind Libertad every year. They are also coming off of a season finishing in 2nd place of their Copa Libertadores group behind Palmeiras, and they have finished in the top 2 of their Copa Libertadores 7 of the last 9 seasons that they have been in the competition. Palmeiras is the dominant club in this group and they are one of the favorites to win the whole competition so it is very unlikely that Cerro Porteno wins the group, but that 2nd spot is up for grabs and this is good value for a club that has a history of finding their way out of the group stage over the last decade. Cerro Porteno at +162 to qualify out of the group.
LDU Quito Yes -138: LDU Quito has already been mentioned earlier as a possible group winner for Group G so for all of the same reasons here, there is some value in taking them at this price to qualify out of the group. There is also a discrepancy in the odds as LDU Quito is 3rd in line for the group winners with Lanus and Mirassol being ahead of them, yet LDU Quito is the biggest favorite in the group just to qualify in the top 2 spots as they have the experience and the best squad in the group. LDU Quito at -138 to qualify out of the group.
Lanus Yes -125: Lanus has been playing very well to start this new season in Argentina and they are also coming off of a great year as the Copa Sudamericana champions. They have a very potent attack that is going to help them out of trouble in this competition and they still play in one of the stronger leagues in South America. There is no real powerhouse in this group either as the favorite to win the group is Mirassol, but Mirassol was a newly promoted side in the Brasileirao last season that overachieved and now they are in line to take a big step back this year. Lanus is the better team here with a lot more experience than Mirassol has playing in a competition like this, and Always Ready is not a true threat either as they have struggled a lot in these competitions over the last few years. LDU Quito is the team standing in their way of the group, but they still have the quality to possibly win this group and they will find a way out of it. Lanus at -125 to qualify out of the group.
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