Sao Paulo vs Palmeiras Match Analysis and Prediction

4 years ago 611

In less than a week after facing each other in a heated Brasileiro Serie A contest, arch-rivals Sao Paulo and Palmeiras will meet in the opening leg of their Round of 16 Copa do Brasil tie at Estadio Cicero Pompeu de Toledo on Friday.

Palmeiras scored twice in the fnal few minutes, defeating Sao Paulo 2-1 and extending their unbeaten run to 19 straight matches across all competitions.

That was the fifth time in Palestra’s previous seven domestic matches in which they had failed to hold a second-half advantage, having wasted 13 points from winning positions since May.

After a pair of solid defensive matches in the first two rounds of this competition, Sao Paulo reacted well in the second half of their opening third-round game against Juventude, cancelling a two-goal deficit to claim a 2-2 draw heading home where they won 2-0 in the return match.

Rogerio Ceni’s side are successful when their defensive midfielders can control and dictate possessions, while they rely heavily on their attack-minded players to be adaptive in defensive transitions.

Since the beginning of the year, Palmeiras have proved that they will be a tough team to defeat, which is something no side has managed to do in recent occasions.

Abel Ferreira’s side last suffered defeat on April 9, a 3-2 loss to Ceara, scoring four winning goals since then with fewer than 10 minutes remaining.

Ferreira is full of tactical surprises which tend to catch opposing coaches unawares and make them ponder, while his players are intelligent enough to apply minor tweaks in the middle of a game.

Palmeiras have managed to put themselves in positions that are rarely in a hurry to win the ball back when they lose possession and have been content to defend deep, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Sao Paulo vs Palmeiras head to head

The two teams have previously met on 76 occasions across all competitions, where Sao Paulo have claimed 29 victories while Palmeiras have won 25, and they have drawn in 22. Palmeiras have scored 89 goals and conceded 86. In their last five meetings, Palmeiras have won three and Sao Paulo two.

Palmeiras 0-2 Sao Paulo 18/11/21

Sao Paulo 0-1 Palmeiras 11/03/22

Sao Paulo 3-1 Palmeiras 31/03/22

Palmeiras 4-0 Sao Paulo 03/04/22

Sao Paulo 1-2 Palmeiras 21/06/22

Sao Paulo latest home form

Sao Paulo have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, and have lost just one of their five most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Palmeiras in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored eight goals and conceded four.

Sao Paulo 3-0 Jorge Wilstermann 20/05/22

Sao Paulo 1-0 Ayacucho 26/05/22

Sao Paulo 2-2 Ceara 29/05/22

Sao Paulo 1-0 America Mineiro 12/06/22

Sao Paulo 1-2 Palmeiras 21/06/22

Sao Paulo latest away form

Sao Paulo have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their six most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to Botafogo in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded five.

Fortaleza 1-1 Sao Paulo 09/05/22

Corinthians 1-1 Sao Paulo 22/05/22

Avai 1-1 Sao Paulo 05/06/22

Coritiba 1-1 Sao Paulo 10/06/22

Botafogo 1-0 Sao Paulo 16/06/22

Palmeiras latest home form

Palmeiras have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their 10 most recent matches. They managed to defeat Atletico Goianiense 4-2 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 13 goals and conceded just three.

Palmeiras 1-0 Emelec 19/05/22

Palmeiras 4-1 Deportivo Tachira 25/05/22

Palmeiras 0-0 Atletico Mineiro 05/06/22

Palmeiras 4-0 Botafogo 10/06/22

Palmeiras 4-2 Atletico Goianiense 17/06/22

Palmeiras latest away form

Palmeiras have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having won each ot their seven most recent matches. They managed to defeat Sao Paulo 2-1 in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded just two.

Juazeirense 1-2 Palmeiras 12/05/22

Juventude 0-3 Palmeiras 22/05/22

Santos 0-1 Palmeiras 29/05/22

Coritiba 0-2 Palmeiras 13/06/22

Sao Paulo 1-2 Palmeiras 21/06/22

Sao Paulo news

Patrick has two goals in his last two home appearances, giving his side the lead against Palmeiras last time out, while Diego Costa and Eder has each scored once at this year’s Copa do Brasil.

Sao Paulo remain without Gabriel Sara and Nikao with ankle issues, while Andres Colorado and Luan have thigh injuries.

Palmeiras news

Goals from Murilo and Gustavo Gomez six minutes apart helped their side earn a victory over Sao Paulo last time out, enabling them to remain in first in the league.

Four different players scored for Palmeiras in the third round of this competition, including Breno Lopes, Danilo, Gustavo Scarpa and Raphael Veiga.

Prediction and Odds

Sao Paulo have responded well all season long after a setback, losing successive matches only once so far in 2022, and will fancy their chances of claiming a win on Friday.

Palmeiras may feel confident heading into the contest following their victory last time out, but we feel the game will end level.

Odds: 1 2.15 X 2.05 2 2.26