Key keywords: Copa Libertadores 2024, El Pirata, Round of 16 qualification, CONMEBOL club competition, afternoon knockout fixture, Peruvian professional football, knockout stage progression, home advantage, Alianza Atlético Sullana Nicknamed "El Pirata" (The Pirate) for its coastal origins in the northern Peruvian city of Sullana, Alianza Atlético Sullana is set to play its make-or-break qualifying match for the 2024 Copa Libertadores Round of 16 this afternoon, in what is being billed as the biggest fixture in the club’s 96-year history. The first leg of the knockout tie, held last week at the opponent’s home stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat for El Pirata, with the Peruvian side netting a critical away goal in the 87th minute to keep their progression hopes alive. Under official CONMEBOL rules, El Pirata will advance to the Round of 16 if they win today’s home match by a margin of one goal or more, with away goals acting as the official tiebreaker should the aggregate score finish level after 90 minutes of regular play. El Pirata’s head coach, Carlos Bustos, confirmed during a pre-match press conference on Tuesday that all first-team players are fit and available for selection, including star attacking midfielder Christian Cueva, who missed the club’s last three Peruvian Liga 1 fixtures with a minor hamstring injury. The club sold out all 25,000 available seats at its Estadio Campeones del 36 more than three full days before kickoff, with local fan groups organizing elaborate pre-match parades, a large-scale tifo display, and coordinated chants to boost the team’s morale from the first whistle. Local government authorities have also deployed more than 300 additional security personnel around the stadium precinct to manage the expected crowds, with temporary road closures in place from two hours before kickoff to one hour after the final whistle to ensure public safety. For El Pirata, a spot in the Copa Libertadores Round of 16 would mark an unprecedented milestone for the small regional club, which has never previously progressed past the preliminary knockout stages of South America’s most prestigious club football competition. The side has already defied all pre-tournament predictions, finishing second in its group ahead of higher-ranked clubs from Brazil and Uruguay to secure a spot in the knockout rounds. Football analysts have consistently highlighted El Pirata’s dominant home form as their biggest advantage heading into today’s fixture, with the club winning 8 of their last 9 competitive matches at their home ground, scoring an average of 2.3 goals per game across that run. The match will be broadcast live across 17 South American countries, as well as on global streaming platforms for international football fans, with official kickoff scheduled for 4:30 PM local Peruvian time.