Godoy Cruz vs Palmeiras Predictions

Wednesday’s Copa Libertadores round of 16, first leg action sees Argentines Godoy Cruz doing battle with Brazilians Palmeiras. The hosts will be looking to cause an upset in front of the home crowd.

With little expectation having been placed on them coming into the competition, Godoy Cruz can be happy to have even made it this far. El Tomba were drawn in quite a tough group that contained Olimpia, Sporting Cristal and Universidad Catolica but managed to advance via a 2nd placed finish, after taking 9 points from the 6 matches contested.

Godoy Cruz won 2 of their 3 home outings in the group and kept a clean sheet in all 3, so it’s clear they are a tough nut to crack at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas. Indeed, the side have long since been regarded as one of the hardest to visit in Argentine football and will be desperate to be ensure that Palmeiras don’t have it easy on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, there can be no doubting that Palmeiras are the favourites to advance from this tie and one of the front runners to lift the Libertadores overall. The Brazilian champions have quality in all areas of the pitch and are desperate to avenge semi-final heartbreak at the hands of Boca Juniors last year; with nothing less than the crown the target.

Nonetheless, despite being top of Serie A, Palmeiras haven’t had a great week and come into this game with an air of vulnerability around them. Indeed, Verdao were eliminated from the Brazilian Cup by Internacional last week and followed that up with a 2-0 league defeat at the hands of Ceara; leaving confidence dented in travelling ranks.

Ultimately, though we do believe Palmeiras will do enough to advance from the tie, most of their work will likely be done in the second leg; as they won’t be in for an easy ride here in Mendoza. The visitors don’t arrive in fantastic shape and their preparations for the match have been far from ideal; with their flight to Argentina suffering huge turbulence that caused several of their players to fall ill and for their base to be switched all the way to Buenos Aires.

As such, we think Godoy Cruz can give the visitors a run for their money and backing them on the Double Chance line looks the way to play as far as the betting goes. It’s likely to be a tight game and though the hosts could edge ahead, a 0-0 draw seems the most likely scoreline and is something we’re also happy to have a play on.