After trailing 2-0 at one point, Palmeiras earned a valuable 2-2 away draw at Godoy Cruz in Mendoza, which means a scoreless home draw would lead them to the quarter-finals. On a sorry note, O Verdao were leapfrogged at the top of the Brazilian league table last weekend following their 1-1 home draw with Vasco da Gama (when coaching Luiz Felipe Scolari fielded an alternative XI). The team are now two points behind leaders Santos. In fact, Palmeiras are winless in their last five competitive matches. However, they haven’t lost any of their last 17 home games, with 14 wins and three draws in regular time.
Godoy Cruz blew a 2-0 lead at home (striker Santiago Garcia netted a brace) and had to settle for a 2-2 home draw with Palmeiras. As a result, they need to score in Brazil to keep their hope alive. El Tomba made their debut in the Superliga last Saturday when losing 3-2 at San Lorenzo with a young line-up. The team are on three competitive games without a win in regular time (two draws, one defeat), and they also are winless in the last 11 on away turf (drawing five and losing six) since beating Tigre 3-1 in December 2018.
Godoy Cruz conceded 2 goals vs Palmeiras midweek and then 3 goals on Saturday in their league debut, showing they are weak defensively. They are now forced to score here and will have to take risks against a super solid team, so another open game should be expected.