The quarter-final of the Copa Libertadores will get underway this week, and Deportivo Pereira will be hoping to secure a lead in the first leg when they take on Palmeiras at Estadio Hernan Ramirez Villegas on Thursday.
Both these sides come into this match off the back of solid wins in their domestic league and will now look to bring that momentum into the cup competition with a spot in the semi-final against Boca Juniors or Racing Club up for grabs.
Match preview
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After making their comeback to Primera A in the 2020 season, Deportivo Pereira have made great strides forward, and last season will go down in the club's history as one of their most successful and memorable.
Guided by Alejandro Restrepo, who took over from Alexis Marquez in the 2022 Finalizacion tournament, Deportivo Pereira reached their inaugural Primera A championship final, which they won 4-3 in a penalty shootout against Independiente Medellin.
They are now competing in their first Copa Libertadores campaign and have shown tremendous fighting spirit up to this point, finishing second in Group F behind Boca Juniors with a record of two wins, two draws and two losses in their six matches.
While the hosts did manage to fend off Independiente Valle 2-1 on aggregate in the last round, their domestic form has failed to live up to their cup form, as they are currently in 14th place in Primera A and have managed only one win in their first six matches of the campaign.
However, following three winless matches at the start of August, they have managed back-to-back wins in their last two games, including a 1-0 Copa Colombia win over Tigres and a 3-0 league win over Jaguares de Cordoba last weekend.
Deportivo Pereira will hope that their recent uptick in form is maintained in this crucial fixture on their home patch, but they are currently showing up as the 5/1 outsiders to secure a first-leg win, according to most bookmakers.
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Meanwhile, Palmeiras come into this match as not only the favourites to win the tie, but they are also the favourites to go on to win the entire competition, with most bookmakers currently giving them about a 3/1 chance of lifting the trophy.
The Brazilian outfit returned to the top of the Brazilian Serie A last season after a four-year wait and secured the title in style, beating Internacional by eight points while wrapping up the competition with three games to spare.
Over the course of the season, Abel Ferreira's side recorded 23 wins in their 38 matches, along with 12 draws and just three losses, and they were also the highest-scoring side with 66 goals while only conceding 27.
This season has proven to be a more challenging assignment as they are currently in second place in Serie A and nine points behind the runaway league leaders Botafogo, who are on 48 points after 20 matches in the season.
The visitors secured 15 points in their six group-stage matches, winning five and losing just one in that time before overcoming Atletico Mineiro 1-0 on aggregate in the last round of the competition.
Palmeiras have won their last three away matches in the Copa Libertadores, keeping consecutive clean sheets in each of those games, and they will be confident in their chances of getting a win here against a side that has been struggling to find their best form so far this season.
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Team News
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Adrian Balboa bagged a brace in the hosts last match against Jaguares de Cordoba, and he should continue in attack in this one alongside Angelo Rodriguez.
Carlos Ramirez was taken off early in the last match as a precaution and is expected to return to defence, with Geisson Perea and Carlos Garces likely rounding out the three-at-the-back formation.
Ferreira will be without the services of midfielders Dudu and Gabriel Menino, who have contributed three goals each this season due to a calf and thigh injury, respectively.
Having not featured as yet this season, Luis Guilherme is the only long-term absentee for the visitors, and he is expected to remain sidelined until next month at the earliest.
Deportivo Pereira possible starting lineup:
Quintana; Quinones, Perea, Torres; Gomez, Riascos, Vasquez, Zuluaga, Mejia; Balboa, Rodriguez
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Mayke, Gomez, Cerqueira, Piquerez; Rafael, Rios, Jhonatan, Veiga; Guimaraes, Rony
We say: Deportivo Pereira 0-2 Palmeiras
The visitors come into this match carrying very good form, especially in defence, where they have kept three consecutive clean sheets leading up to this match. They are expected to qualify for the next round, and we fancy them to take at least a two-goal lead away from this crucial opening leg.
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