The Copa Libertadores has thrown up a blockbuster clash in the 2023 final, with Argentinian giants Boca Juniors taking on Fluminense.
The showpiece will take place on home turf for the Rio club at the iconic Maracana and Fernando Diniz, who is also interim Brazil head coach at present, will aim to continue a period of dominance for his country in the Libertadores over recent years.
Qualification for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup is on the line, while the likes of Boca full-back Valentin Barco and Fluminense midfielder Andre Trindade are very much on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and Europe.
But first up is a shot at taking their place in history for both sides. Here, we look back over the most decorated teams in the 63-year history of the Libertadores.
Copa Libertadores 2023 bracket, fixtures, schedule, teams, live stream and TV for CONMEBOL tournament
Boca are aiming to become the joint-most successful team in the competition’s history.
Jorge Almiron’s club are on six wins, one shy of neighbours Independiente, who were a dominant force in the 1970s and won their most recent Libertadores in 1984. Incredibly, El Rojo boast a 100% record of seven appearances and seven success in finals.
By contrast, Boca have also finished as runners-up on five occasions, most recently and painfully when they lost to bitter rivals River Plate in 2018.
That was River’s fourth success in the tournament and they came agonisingly close to making it consecutive titles in 2019 when a last-gasp brace from Gabriel Barbosa gave Fluminense’s Rio rivals Flamengo a 2-1 win in Lima.
It was the first season that the competition reverted to a single-game final and clubs from Brazil have been utterly dominant since. Flamengo lifted
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