Venezuelan Deportivo La Guaira, featuring Panamanian Jorge Gutiérrez, and Brazilian Fluminense will seek their first victory on Tuesday in the group stage of the Conmebol Libertadores, in a match to be played at the university stadium in Caracas.
This is La Guaira's third participation in the tournament, in which it has never advanced past the group stage. Their cumulative record in the Libertadores is two wins, four draws, and four losses in 10 matches. Additionally, the 'Naranja' is unbeaten in the Venezuelan league, with five wins and five draws, sitting in second place with 20 points, just two points off the top.
For Gutiérrez, who arrived in Venezuelan football in 2023, this will be his first time in South America's top continental club tournament, after playing for Tauro in the Concacaf League and Concacaf Champions Cup, and for La Guaira in the last two years in the Copa Sudamericana. The Panamanian international has played 810 minutes, with five wins and four draws, and missed the last match due to a call-up to Panama's matches in South Africa.
The Venezuelan club will rely on players like Colombian Fabián Londoño, known for his mobility and ability to unbalance opponents to attack open spaces.
Fluminense, for its part, was the 2023 Libertadores champion and has a high-level continental squad, including Venezuelan Yeferson Soteldo and Jefferson Savarino, two fast wingers. It also has young players like Hercules Pereira and Matheus Martinelli, aged 25 and 24 respectively. The club also has John Kennedy, the league's fifth-top scorer, where Fluminense is third with 20 points—six wins, two draws, and two losses—and is just five points off the top spot.
The Brazilian club has some confirmed injuries, such as midfielders Gustavo Nonato and Facundo Bernal.
The match will be played at the Central University of Venezuela Olympic Stadium and will be refereed by Uruguayan José Burgos.
