Deportivo La Guaira hosts Independiente Rivadavia this Thursday, May 21st, at 7pm, at Estádio Olímpico de la UCV, in Caracas. The duel is valid for the fifth round of the Grupo C of CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026. The Venezuelan team still dreams of qualifying, while the Argentines have already secured a place in the round of 16 and lead the group.
The confrontation takes place at a decisive moment for the home team. La Guaira needs to score points to continue fighting for one of the two direct spots in the group. Do on the other hand, the Héctor Bidoglio team arrives with high morale after recent good results in the tournament.
Escalação likely from Deportivo La Guaira
The home coach must maintain the base used in the last Liga FUTVE games. The formation tends to be defensive at home against a more experienced rival.
- Cristopher Varela in goal
- Luis Peña, Guillermo Luis Ortiz, Martín Gianoli and Jorge Gutiérrez in defense
- Rommell Ibarra, Juan Castellanos, José Correa and Carlos Faya in the middle
- Jose Ali Meza and Flabian Londoño in the attack
Dúvidas remain on the left flank and in command up front, but the team must repeat the 4-1-4-1 formation.
Escalação likely from Independiente Rivadavia
The leader of Grupo C travels with an almost complete squad. The Argentine coach chooses to rotate some players after early classification, but keeps the main core.
- Nicolás Bolcato
- Luciano Gómez, Leonard Costa, Sheyko Studer and Juan Manuel Elordi
- Gonzalo Ríos, Tomás Bottari and José Florentín
- Sebastián Villa, Alex Arce and Fabrizio Sartori
The team maintains the 4-2-3-1 pattern that gave good results in the competition. Alex Arce remains the main reference in the attack.
Como teams arrive for the clash
La Guaira comes from a goalless draw against Universidad Central in the national league. Nos last five games, the team recorded three draws and two wins, showing defensive solidity but difficulty in breaking through blocks. Na Libertadores, takes the lead from Grupo C with few points.
Independiente Rivadavia leads the group with 10 points and is already classified. The Argentine team beat La Guaira 4-1 in the first round, with the highlight being Alex Arce. Recentemente lost to Unión Santa Fe in the local championship, but maintains good performance away from home.
- Últimos five La Guaira games: draw, draw, draw, win, draw
- Últimos five Independiente Rivadavia games: loss, draw, win, win, win
Onde watch live La Guaira x Independiente Rivadavia
Transmission takes place on Disney+ and Fox Sports, depending on the operator. Plataformas streaming platforms like fuboTV also show the game to international subscribers. No Brasil, fans can follow it on cable TV or the official CONMEBOL app.
The time is 7pm on Caracas, 9pm on Brasília. Não there is confirmation of open broadcast on linear TV on Brasil.
Recent Histórico and match facts
The teams faced each other a few weeks ago. Independiente Rivadavia scored at home and showed technical superiority. La Guaira needs to reverse this situation in front of the fans.
The UCV stadium Olímpico should receive a good crowd. The Venezuelan team usually grows in games with local support.
- Árbitro: Mario Diaz of Vivar (Paraguai)
- VAR: Antonio García (Uruguai)
- Previsão weather in Caracas: temperatures between 20°C and 27°C, with a chance of light rain showers overnight
Current Classificação of Grupo C
Independiente Rivadavia occupies the first position and has already secured a place. Bolívar and Fluminense fight for the other positions. La Guaira needs victory to dream of advancement.
The result of this match directly influences the definition of the remaining places in the group.