Nacional vs. Boca Juniors (Thursday, 1.00am)
© Reuters
Nacional and Boca Juniors will square off in Uruguay on Thursday in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores round-of-16 tie.
The visitors booked their knockout place by topping their group, while the hosts only pipped Independiente Medellin to second place in theirs with a victory in the final round of games.
We say: Nacional 1-1 Boca Juniors
While Boca Juniors may boast slightly more quality than their hosts, we do see the two teams as relatively evenly matched, and with Almiron's side expected to be somewhat cautious away from home, we anticipate the first leg finishing level in Uruguay.
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Dep. Pereira vs. Independiente (Thursday, 1.00am)
© Reuters
Deportivo Pereira and Independiente del Valle will kick off their fight for a place in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals on Thursday, when they meet at the Estadio Hernan Ramirez Villegas in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie.
The hosts progressed to the knockout stage by finishing second in group F, while their visitors topped their group in style with 12 points from their six outings.
We say: Deportivo Pereira 1-2 Independiente del Valle
Deportivo Pereira will be desperate to make the most of home advantage on Thursday, but we see the visitors having too much quality and attacking threat and going ahead in the tie before returning to Ecuador for the second leg next week.
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Atletico Mineiro vs. Palmeiras (Thursday, 1.30am)
© Reuters
Atletico Mineiro take on Palmeiras at the Arena MRV in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores clash on Wednesday night.
The hosts have reached the round of 16 after finishing second in Group G, while the visitors managed to finish top of Group C.
We say: Atletico Mineiro 0-2 Palmeiras
Atletico Mineiro have been very poor in front of goal in recent weeks, and they have not won in all competitions since the beginning of June, so we cannot see them picking up a positive result on Wednesday evening.
Palmeiras have won their last two Brasileiro games, and they are considerably higher than their opponents in the table, so we expect them to record a comfortable victory.
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Oliver Thomas
