Thursday's Copa Sudamericana knockout fixtures begin with Palestino welcoming Cuiaba to Estadio Ester Roa in the opening leg of that round of 32 clash.
A 3-1 defeat versus Bolivar on the final matchday of their Copa Libertatores campaign relegated the Chileans into this tournament, while Dourado finished second in Group G of the Sudamericana, defeating Lanus 1-0 in their final group contest.
Match preview
© Reuters
Some self-inflicted wounds in their decisive match with Bolivar were ultimately too much for Palestino to overcome as own-goals from Jose Bizama and Ariel Martinez proved costly.
Throughout the group phase of the Libertadores, they often reacted too late, with four of their six goals scored coming in the final 45 minutes.
After losing their first home fixture at that tournament, 4-0 to Bolivar, Baisanos were a lot tidier defensively, winning their final two matches in Santiago by a combined margin of 4-1.
Although they are only at this stage of the competition as a reward for finishing third in their Libertadores group, this is the furthest this club have gone at the Sudamericana since being knocked out in the quarter-finals by San Lorenzo in 2016 (2-1 on aggregate).
Since that 2016 run, the Chileans have lost every one of their Sudamericana two-leg ties that have taken place on home soil.
They have never beaten a Brazilian side in this competition at home, winning only one of their eight meetings all-time versus Brasileiro Serie A opponents (2-1 at Flamengo in the 2016 round of 16).
© Reuters
For the first time in their Sudamericana history, Cuiaba have made it beyond the group phase, going unbeaten along the way.
The club from Mato Grosso were one of only three sides in the group stage that did not suffer a defeat, with the others being Belgrano from Argentina and the Brazilians Cruzeiro.
Since entering the Brazilian top flight in 2021, Cuiaba have usually been near the bottom of the table and in relegation danger, and that is the case after 16 Serie A fixtures this year, with Petit's side currently 15th, five points above that line.
In the group phase of this tournament, they were solid defensively, conceding a goal or fewer in each game, winning two of their three away matches and posting two clean sheets as the visitors.
Dourado did not concede a single goal in the opening half during the group phase and were never behind for a single second.
Consistency has been a strong suit of this side lately, earning at least a point in seven of their previous eight top-flight contests, including two victories over that stretch.
Team News
© Reuters
It is unlikely that newly appointed Palestino manager Lucas Bovaglio will have Nicolas Meza available for the opening leg of this tie due to a cruciate ligament tear.
Felipe Chamorro led them with three goals in the group portion of the Copa Libertadores, while the only clean sheet collected by Cesar Rigamonti occurred at home versus Brazilian side Flamengo (1-0).
Matheus Alexandre will not be available to Cuiaba until late July, as the right-back is currently dealing with a thigh injury.
Cuiaba got contributions from various attacking sources in the group phase of this competition, with Isidro Pitta leading the way with four goals, followed by Fernando Sobral (three) and Deyverson (two).
Palestino possible starting lineup:
Rigamonti; Rojas, Roman, Suarez, Zuniga; Abrigo, Linares, Davila: Carrasco, Marabel, Benitez
Cuiaba possible starting lineup:
Walter; Railan, Marllon, Empereur, Ramon; Cafu, Sobral, Mineiro, Augusto, Lacerda; Pitta
We say: Palestino 0-0 Cuiaba
It has been a while since either side played in a game on such a big stage, and we expect to see a nervy affair between two teams that may want to avoid defeat more than anything.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
