Millonarios and São Paulo meet on Tuesday at 21:30 Brasília time at Estádio El Campín in Bogotá, Colombia, in a third-round Copa Sul-Americana group-stage match that could reshape Group C. São Paulo arrives on top of the group with six points from two games, while Millonarios is tied with O'Higgins for second place.
For São Paulo, the trip comes with a heavily altered lineup. Roger Machado left Rafael Tolói, Lucas Ramon, Enzo Díaz, Danielzinho, Artur, Luciano and Calleri in Brazil, while Lucas Moura is out with a fracture in two ribs, Pablo Maia has fractures in the bones of the face and nose, and Marcos Antônio is sidelined with a right thigh rectus femoris muscle injury. Machado is also considering a three-man defensive line because Bogotá sits at 2,600 meters of altitude.
Millonarios has its own absence to manage. Radamel Falcão García will miss the match after suffering a facial fracture against América de Cali on the 19th. Even so, the Colombian side comes in with some momentum after beating Tolima in its most recent league match and Boston River in its most recent Copa Sul-Americana match.
The standings give the game extra weight. São Paulo can strengthen its position at the top of Group C, while Millonarios, now in 10th place in the Colombian Championship, is trying to keep pace in the group race and protect its home record. The team has won two and drawn one of its last three home matches, a run that matters in a tournament where home points can decide who advances.
São Paulo has also arrived with a steadier mood after two wins in national competitions, results that eased the pressure on Roger Machado before the continental trip. Millonarios enters with the benefit of recent results at home, but without one of its most recognizable forwards, and São Paulo lands in Bogotá without seven usual starters. The mixed team Machado is likely to use will have to handle both the altitude and the pressure of a match that can tilt the group.
SBT, and Disney+ will broadcast the match. With São Paulo defending first place and Millonarios chasing a foothold in Group C, Tuesday night in Bogotá offers little margin for error.
