Needing a victory to have any hope of a seventh successive appearance in the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores, Palmeiras welcome Botafogo to Allianz Parque on Wednesday in the second leg of that tie.
The current Brasileiro Serie A leaders won the opening leg of this round of 16 tie, 2-1 at home, putting them in position to end their seven-year exile from the quarter-finals.
Match preview
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For the first time since 2017, Palmeiras are behind entering the second leg of a Libertadores round of 16 tie, needing a victory to prolong their stay in this competition.
It was the first defeat for them in the tournament this year, and it has them on the brink of their earliest exit from this competition since Barcelona SC of Ecuador took them out at this stage in 2017 on penalties.
It has been a long time since they last suffered Copa Libertadores defeat at Allianz Parque in the round of 16, with Club Tijuana beating them 2-1 at this stage in 2013
Uncharacteristically, Abel Ferreira's men have played from behind more often than we are used to, conceding the opening goal four times at the Libertadores this year but earning a result in three of those instances.
Even more uncharacteristic is that they have not won consecutive competitive games since July, but that can change on Wednesday following a 2-1 win over arch-rivals Sao Paulo this past weekend.
The only previous time they hosted Fogo at the Libertadores was back in 1973, when Palestra emerged with a 3-2 victory in that group fixture.
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A resilient Botafogo overcame a strong push by Verdao last week, answering their equaliser with a winner six minutes later and hanging on to win.
After losing their opening two matches in this tournament, this team have gone unbeaten in five consecutive games, winning four of those encounters.
Artur Jorge's men are currently on a two-match winning run across all competitions while maintaining a slender one-point lead over Fortaleza atop the Brasileiro Serie A table thanks to a 4-1 triumph over Flamengo on Saturday.
However, this team have lost their previous two competitive fixtures away from home, most recently versus Juventude (3-2) in the Brazilian top flight earlier this month.
Botafogo have never been eliminated from a round of 16 tie at this tournament when leading after the opening leg, taking out Nacional of Uruguay in their previous clash at this stage, 3-0 on aggregate in 2017.
Estrella Solitaria have beaten Palestra in three of their previous four meetings, with their last away victory against them occurring during the 2023 domestic campaign (1-0).
Team News
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Last week, Palestra did not have Bruno Rodrigues available as he is recovering from knee surgery, while Joaquin Piquerez has a sore knee.
Mayke and Dudu, meanwhile, are both questionable for this decisive encounter, having each missed the opening fixture because of calf injuries.
A 33rd-minute strike by Mauricio was all they could muster against Fogo the last time out, his first of the competition this year.
In the first game of this tie, Rafael and Jeffinho sat out with knee issues, while Matheus Nascimento and Eduardo were sidelined due to thigh injuries.
Junior Santos, the top goalscorer at the Libertadores (nine goals), remains out with a broken ankle, while Thiago Almada, who recently signed from Atlanta United in Major League Soccer (MLS), made his tournament debut last week.
Luiz Henrique gave them an early lead last Wednesday before Igor Jesus put them in front for good with a 39th-minute strike.
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Reis, Gomez, Murilo; Rocha, Moreno, Veiga, Anderson; Mauricio, Lazaro, Rony
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
John; Ponte, Bastos, Barboza, Cuiabano; Gregore, Freitas; Henrique, Tche Tche, Almada; Jesus
We say: Palmeiras 1-0 Botafogo (Palmeiras advance on penalties)
Given the stakes, we expect the desperation and experience of Palmeiras will be just enough to advance them into the next round, in what promises to be a tense affair on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
