Neck-and-neck in the Copa Libertadores Group D standings, Atletico Junior and Botafogo vie for first place in Tuesday's finale in Barranquilla. Both sides are already guaranteed to advance to the knockout rounds of South America's premier tournament, but it is the hosts who are currently on course to qualify in first position. Still unbeaten in the Copa Libertadores since the 2024 edition commenced, Colombian outfit Junior are one of just five teams across the eight groups with zero defeats on their record heading into matchday six, where a point would suffice for a first-placed finish.
Despite only prevailing in two of their five battles so far - including a 1-0 victory over LDU Quito in their penultimate game thanks to a Jose Enamorado effort - a trio of consecutive 1-1 draws against Universitario (two) and Quito has Junior sitting pretty at the summit with nine points on their record. While their points tally is identical to that of Botafogo, their superior goal difference means that Arturo Reyes 's men simply have to hold out for another stalemate to advance to the last 16 as group winners, which would also stretch their eye-catching unbeaten Copa Libertadores streak to 10 matches across two tournaments. However, Junior's Colombian Primera A results since their last Libertadores encounter have been the true definition of a mixed bag - one defeat, one stalemate and one victory - although that sole triumph came on Saturday, a 1-0 triumph over Atletico Bucaramanga.
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