The Italian squad travels to Estádio Vila Belmiro to rebound from a tough opening defeat against Newell’s in Rancagua.
Audax Italiano arrives this Thursday in a match that marks the second round of Group E in the 2023 Copa Sudamericana.
Los Tanos, who recently announced the resignation of their coach Manuel Fernández, will push to grab three points at Vila Belmiro as they seek to climb the standings after their loss to Newell’s in El Teniente, Rancagua. That loss represented the Leprosos’ second victory as visitors in the tournament after their win over Palestino in the 2021 edition. It was Audax Italiano’s third time facing Argentine opponents in the competition, following Central Rosary in the 1998 Copa Libertadores and Estudiantes de La Plata in 2022.
Odair Hellmann’s squad arrives in high spirits after opening with a 1–0 win over Blooming, a result achieved after more than a decade without a road victory in Bolivia. Their last match on foreign soil in a continental competition was in 2007, a Libertadores tie against the Celestes. In this stretch, Santos maintains an unbeaten streak in recent continental engagements, recording four wins and four draws, while conceding goals in three of those matches.
On the domestic front, Audax Italiano recently fell to Universidad de Chile (1–2), extending a winless run to eight games. The poor form leaves them hovering near the relegation zone, sitting in a precarious penultimate position with seven points, tied with the bottom club Deport Copiapó.
Meanwhile, Santos could not secure a victory in their opening Brasileirão match at Grêmio, losing 1–0 thanks to a late strike by João Pedro at Alfredo Jaconi.
The match between Santos and Audax Italiano can be watched live on DirecTV Sports (channels 610–619), with streaming available through the DGO platform. Access requires being a DIRECTV customer and having a MiDIRECTV account. Viewers can then download the app for Android or iOS or access the service from a computer.