Copa Sudamericana Futures 2024 (Knockout Rounds)

The 2024 Copa Sudamericana group stage has ended and the Round of 16 is now set after the 2nd place finishers in the group stage played the 3rd place finishers from Copa Libertadores to earn a spot in this knockout round. Unlike Copa Libertadores, this tournament has not been dominated by clubs from Brasil and Argentina in recent years, and there is not a real dominant team in this competition making the tournament much more open for anyone to win. The Round of 16 will be kicking off on August 14 so it is time to see who has the best chance of lifting the Copa Sudamericana trophy this season. 

Boca Juniors +600 and Cruzeiro +700: Boca Juniors and Cruzeiro are the 2 biggest favorites respectively to win this competition according to the oddsmakers. These two will actually face each other in the Round of 16 though so right away one of these clubs will be taken off the board after this round. These two may be the favorites in this tournament, but they are not the best teams in this competition at all. Boca Juniors has been struggling in their own domestic and are currently sitting in the bottom half of the table after 6 matches. They were not great in the Copa Sudamericana group stage either as they only finished 2nd in their group at 3-2-1 and had to play in the play-off round to make it to this Round of 16. Cruzeiro has been playing much better in their domestic league as they are currently sitting in the top 5 and have been in better form recently, but they have also been a more home dominant team which is not going to serve them well in this competition. They topped their group in the Copa Sudamericana group stage, but they were only 3-3-0 in their 6 matches and struggled to win matches against teams from weaker domestic leagues. There is too much liability here to take either of these clubs as one will be out by the end of the Round of 16, and neither team really has the squad to make a deep run in this competition either. There is not a lot of value in either of these clubs to win this competition this season. 

Athletico Paranaense +900 and Fortaleza +900: Athletico PR and Fortaleza are both listed as the next 2 teams with the best chance at winning this competition according to the oddsmakers. Athletico PR had a great start to the season as they have one of the best defenses in the Brasileirao which they can lean on in this competition. They were one of the better teams to start the season as they were in such great form, but they have fallen out of form since then and have been struggling more to win matches recently. They have been slipping more in the Brasileirao recently and they did not even top their group in the Copa Sudamericana group stage. They only finished in 2nd place at 4-0-2 and they needed to play in the play-off just to make it to this round. They also finished 2nd in a much weaker group that did not have any teams from stronger leagues in South America. Fortaleza is a team that did win their group in the group stage at 4-1-1, but they have also been a very inconsistent team in their own domestic league. They are currently sitting in the top 4 of the Brasileirao as they have been in a run of great form recently, but that is not going to hold up long. They have also struggled a lot more in their away matches and they are not a team with a very strong attack. Both of these clubs are being overvalued in this competition due to being in the Brasileirao, but teams from the Brasileirao have not done well in this competition over the last few years as there are many good teams from other countries who dominate their domestic leagues and can compete with these weaker Brasilian clubs. There is not a lot of value in these two to win this competition this year.

Racing Club +1200: Racing Club is not the next team on the list for winning this competition this season, but this is a team with some real value. They have been one of the better teams in Argentina this season and they are a real threat to win the LPF Title. They have a very strong home advantage as they rarely allow goals at home and have been averaging over 3 goals scored per match there. They even finished the Copa Sudamericana group stage at the top of their group at 5-0-1 which was the best record of any teams in the group stage of the competition, and they scored 14 goals in their 6 matches while allowing just 3 goals, even playing in a group with RB Bragantino from Brasil. Racing Club has the defense to make a deep run here as they are not going to concede many goals in the competition, but they also have an attack that can win them matches if need be. They are a very dangerous team in Argentina right now and that will carry over into this competition as they will be very focused on winning this. They have one of the best squads in the whole tournament and will be a big threat. There is a lot of value in Racing Club to win this competition at this price. 

LDU Quito +1600: LDU Quito is not the next team on the list for winning this competition this season, but this is a team with some real value. LDU Quito actually started the group stage in Copa Libertadores and ended up finishing in 3rd place so they dropped down to this competition and had to play in the play-off to get here. They beat Always Ready 4-3 on aggregate to get to this Round of 16, but LDU Quito is actually the defending champion of this competition. They won Copa Sudamericana last season and earned a Copa Libertadores spot from that, but now they find themselves back in this competition and will be pushing to repeat as champions. They have a very good defense that took them far in this competition last season and they know what needs to be done to win this tournament so they will use that experience here. Not only are they the defending champions, but they are also a club from Ecuador and the Copa Sudamericana champion has actually come from Ecuador in the last 2 as well as 3 of the last 5 seasons. LDU Quito is not the best team in this competition this year, but their experience will take them a long way and they are definitely going to be a tough out for any team they go up against. There is some good value in LDU Quito at this price to repeat as champions this season.

Independiente Medellín +3300: Independiente Medellín is not the next team on the list for winning this competition this season, but this is a team with some real value.They finished the group stage at the top of their group at 4-1-1, scoring 16 goals in those 6 matches while allowing 7 goals. They have a very potent attack that can carry them far into this tournament as they are a team that never lays down when behind. They have struggled in their own domestic league recently, but they have also turned their focus more to this competition as this is the trophy they want to win. They do not have the best squad in this tournament and their defense will struggle to keep clean sheets in this competition, but they have some potential as a long shot here since they have a very potent attack that will keep them in their matches. They also have a big advantage at home since they play at a very high altitude so that home advantage will carry them deep into this tournament as opponents will struggle when they travel there. They also have a weaker opponent in the Round of 16 which will give them a better chance to advance to the quarters. Independiente Medellín has a lot of value at this price to be a long shot winner of this competition considering how they have the altitude advantage at home and there is not a real dominant team in this competition. 

Copa Sudamericana usually has much weaker teams than Copa Libertadores which really makes the field more open to big underdogs going on a run and winning the whole thing. There are 5 clubs from Brasil in the top 6 teams listed in the odds for this tournament, but only 1 club from Brasil has won this competition in the last 5 seasons and the clubs from Brasil that usually play in this are not the strongest ones from the Brasileirao. Racing Club at +1200 has the most value of all the teams as they do have one of the better teams in the competition and are very undervalued here. LDU Quito at +1600 has a lot of value as a dark horse since they are the defending champions of the competition, and Independiente Medellin at +3300 has some value as a long shot here.