Cuiaba vs Palestino

After a 1-1 first-leg draw, Cuiaba and Palestino battle it out for a place in the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals at the Arena Pantanal.

Cuiaba hauled back a halftime deficit in the first leg to put themselves in the driver’s seat to reach the quarter-finals, entering the return leg as odds-on favorites to pick up a precious win. Despite being backed by the bookies, the Brazilians can’t afford to get complacent after only winning once across their last eight outings in all competitions (D5, L2). On top of that, Petit’s men have gone winless in four consecutive home matches (D2, L2) since a 5-0 demolition of Fortaleza in mid-June, averaging only 0.5 goals per game. On a more positive note, they didn’t lose any of their three home fixtures in this season’s Copa Sudamericana group stages (W1, D2), conceding just two goals.

On the other hand, Palestino followed up the first-leg stalemate with a disastrous 4-1 home loss to domestic rivals Everton de Vina, relinquishing a decent-looking four-game unbeaten run (W2, D2). Notoriously inconsistent, ‘Tino’ have alternated between different outcomes across their last ten competitive matches (W4, D3, L3), resulting in the sacking of former manager Lucas Bovaglio. Though they’ve struggled to hit a purple patch, the Chileans have been fun to watch, with four of their last six games featuring over 2.5 goals and ‘both teams to score,’ highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest. That could lead to Palestino’s detriment, considering they’ve conceded 2+ goals on their last two road trips (D1, L1).