Corinthians vs Colo Colo Predictions

Thursday’s Copa Libertadores round of 16, second leg action sees Brazilians Corinthians going head to head with Chileans Colo Colo. The hosts will be looking to come back from the 1-0 margin of defeat they suffered in the first leg a couple of weeks ago.

In all honesty, Corinthians are fortunate to only be a goal adrift of Colo Colo. The Brazilian champions were put under sustained pressure in Santiago and their opponents missed several big openings. Nonetheless, back in front of the home crowd, an improved showing is expected from Timao and is something that is a necessity given the pressure building on the team.

It’s been a miserable year for the side since last year’s mastermind boss Fabio Carille and several key players departed and replacement manager Osmas Loss’ job is under question now amidst poor domestic showings. Nonetheless, advancement in the Libertadores would go a long way towards saving his job and with most of Corinthians’ issues coming away from home, confidence is still high in home ranks coming into this clash, with 4 wins recorded from the last 6 at the Corinthians Arena.

Meanwhile, whilst Colo Colo will be pleased to have established an advantage in what was their first Libertadores knockout game in over a decade, it certainly looks a slender one and there’s surely also a tint of disappointment that they couldn’t find another goal or two on home soil.

Los Albos travel to Brazil in excellent spirits after winning a heated derby with arch enemy Universidad de Chile over the weekend, but with said contest having been played in such a heated manner, there could well be some tired legs in visiting ranks. That’s clearly a worry for the Chileans and their prospects only look all the more bleaker when you consider their away record, which currently reads 4 defeats from the last 6 matches, including 3 from the last 4.

Ultimately, we feel this tie is far from over and for all their struggles, Corinthians still possess a talented team and are a real force on their own patch. Man for man, they are a stronger outfit than Colo Colo on paper and the visitors have endured years of struggle on the continental scene.

As such, we’re more than happy to back Corinthians winning the match with full confidence. Colo Colo’s tired legs and lack of resolve on their travels are both real concerns and Corinthians look well placed to take full advantage considering their recent home showings. The hosts have won 4 of their last 7 outings in front of the home crowd in the Libertadores and could well build on said sequence with a 1-0 victory that would take the game to penalties.