Overview
- The first leg kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Lima (9:30 p.m. in Paraguay) at Estadio Río Parapití in Pedro Juan Caballero, with ESPN on TV and Disney+ streaming across much of Latin America.
- 2 de Mayo shocked Alianza Lima 2-1 on aggregate in Fase 1 but come in with poor league form after a 3-0 loss to Sportivo Ameliano and only two points from five matches.
- Paulo Autuori's squad will be without Brazilian Gabriel Santana due to a foot injury, with local reports projecting Maxloren Castro to fill the right-sided role.
- CONMEBOL assigned Colombian Carlos Betancur as referee, with Nicolás Gallo overseeing VAR and John León and Miguel Roldán as assistants.
- Odds indicate a near-even contest with a modest edge to Cristal; the return is on February 24 in Lima and, if the aggregate is level, the tie goes to penalties with no away-goals rule.