The Copa Sudamericana is gearing up for a final loaded with history and unresolved battles. Mauricio Pellegrino and Jorge Sampaoli, who faced each other in LaLiga during the 2016-2017 season, will cross paths again almost a decade later, now as managers of Lanús and Atlético Mineiro. What was once a tactical duel between Deportivo Alavés and Sevilla is now transformed into a clash for a continental title that both men crave, each for very different reasons.

Two career paths crossing again on a bigger stage

The Spanish precedents include a win for Sampaoli’s Sevilla and a draw at Mendizorroza. Pellegrino never managed to defeat the coach from Santa Fe, and that sporting frustration reappears now as an added challenge for him. The Lanús manager, a Copa Libertadores champion as a player with Vélez, hopes to add an international crown to his résumé after several near misses throughout his coaching career.

Sampaoli, meanwhile, arrives with an overflowing trophy cabinet: 2011 Sudamericana champion with Universidad de Chile, 2015 Copa América winner with the Chilean national team, and a protagonist in highly demanding club projects with Santos, Sevilla, Olympique de Marseille, Stade Rennes and now once again Atlético Mineiro. For the Galo, winning the Sudamericana would complete their collection alongside the Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana and the now-defunct Copa Conmebol.

The Argentine coach took over in September and led the team straight to the final, eliminating Bolívar and Independiente del Valle with an aggressive playing style and a squad fully aligned with his ideas. Key figures include Hulk, their undisputed leader, Paraguayan defender Junior Alonso, Brazilian midfielder Bernard, and Ecuadorian international Alan Franco.

Lanús and Atlético Mineiro: two teams, two dreams

The final will be played at Defensores del Chaco, with 40,000 fans divided between Argentines and Brazilians. Lanús returns to a familiar stage: they won the tournament in 2013 and lost the 2020 final. Under Pellegrino, the team arrives with standout players such as Rodrigo Castillo, a key scorer this campaign, the skillful Marcelino Moreno, the experienced Carlos Izquierdoz, and the creative Eduardo Salvio, who collectively sustain a project that surprised many this year.

Atlético Mineiro, on the other hand, is chasing its first Sudamericana title and comes into the match strengthened by its recent resurgence. Hulk, at 39 years old, remains their primary attacking reference and scored the decisive goal that sealed their spot in the final just weeks ago. The club believes this is the ideal moment to finally secure a trophy that has eluded them since their foundation.

The city of Asunción, hosting the final for the third time, is already living in full celebration mode, with thousands of fans and unprecedented security measures in place. The Sudamericana will crown a new champion, but it will also rewrite a pending chapter between two managers whose rivalry now returns with a trophy on the line.