Palmeiras vs Atletico Mineiro & Flamengo vs Barcelona SC Odds & Picks – Copa Libertadores Semifinals Leg 1
- Copa holders Palmeiras hosts Brazilian league leader Mineiro at 8:30 pm ET on Tuesday
- Flamengo is at home against Ecuadorean champions Barcelona on Wednesday at 8:30 pm ET
- See odds, previews and best bets for the South America Copa Libertadores Semifinals Leg 1 below
South America’s premier continental club competition reaches its semifinal stage this week with defending champion Palmeiras still in the hunt.
It meets fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro while Flamengo of Rio De Janiero meets Barcelona SC of Ecuador.
We preview both semifinals with our best bets below.
Palmeiras vs Atletico Mineiro Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmeiras vs Atletico Mineiro | PAL -1 (+490) | ATL +1 (-220) | PAL +160 | ATL +180 | DRAW +185 | Ov 2.5 (+132) | Un 2.5 (-182) |
Odds as of September 21 at FanDuel
Palmeiras vs Atletico Mineiro Prediction
Brazil’s current two leading teams meet in the semifinal first leg of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday evening.
Atletico Mineiro is on top of the Campeonato Serie A by seven points and visits second-placed Palmeiras at the Allianz Parque in Sao Paolo.
Palmeiras is the current Libertadores holder after its triumph in the 2020 edition – with the dramatic 1-0 defeat of Santos in the final in Rio taking place in January this year because of the COVID pandemic.
It was Palmeiras’ second triumph in the competition following victory in 1999.
Meanwhile, Mineiro of Belo Horizonte has won the trophy just once in 2013.
FanDuel makes Palmeiras a +160 favorite to win on Tuesday which is the best offer here.
Mineiro, meanwhile, is +180 even though it has star strikers Hulk and Diego Costa. The draw is +185 with kick-off at 9:30 pm ET.
Coach Ferreira Seeks More Glory
Certainly, this is a huge opportunity for Palmeiras’ Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira who has already won two trophies since he took charge of the team last October.
Following January’s Copa Libertadores success, he became the first foreign coach to lift the Brazilian Cup in March with a 3-0 aggregate victory over Gremio.
Hulk and Diego Costa both scored for Atletico Mineiro at the weekend.
That duo 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nNACU1GeDe
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 21, 2021
Both these teams have advanced in the Libertadores this season because of their strong defensive qualities.
While scoring 18 times in home ties, Palmeiras has conceded just four goals at its HQ – all of them in one crazy 4-3 setback in the group stage against Defensa Y Justicia.
Furthermore, Palmeiras won its five other group matches. And it has scored 18 times at home in total to prove it can be ruthless going forward, too.
Mineiro has conceded just three times in the competition.
The team subsequently advanced through the last 16 knockout stage with two 1-0 defeats of Chile’s Universidad Catolica.
Then, secondly, after a 1-1 draw away at Sao Paolo in the quarterfinal first leg, Palmeiras progressed to the last four with a 3-0 home win.
Mineiro, moreover, is even tougher defensively and has conceded just three times in the competition.
It has kept clean sheets in all four of its knockout ties.
Firstly, after winning its group with five wins and one draw, it came up against Boca Juniors of Argentina in the last 16.
After two goalless draws, Mineiro advanced by winning a penalty shoot-out by 3-1.
Brazilian clubs leave Copa Libertadores rivals in their wake https://t.co/xUyteOdEvG
— ReviewTech24 (@reviewtech24) September 18, 2021
Following that, in the last eight, it won by 1-0 and 3-0 against Argentina’s River Plate.
Meanwhile, Mineiro was a 2-0 home winner when these sides last met in Serie A in August.
However, in conclusion, Palmeiras has not lost at home against Mineiro since 2016. And its good record in this competition recently means it is likely to secure a low-scoring win.
Pick: Palmeiras +155
Flamengo vs Barcelona SC Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamengo vs Barcelona SC | FLA -2 (+210) | BAR +2 (-105) | FLA -500 | BAR +1200 | DRAW +460 | Ov 2.5 (-160) | Un 2.5 (+114) |
Flamengo vs Barcelona SC Prediction
Flamengo of Rio De Janeiro takes on the Ecuadorean side Barcelona SC which is the only non-Brazilian outfit remaining in the competition.
Although Flamengo is a massive favorite for a home first-leg win on Wednesday at 8:30 pm ET, Barcelona has proven itself a good competitor.
It has recorded knockout wins over Velez Sarsfield of Argentina and Brazil’s Fluminense.
So this may not be as straightforward as the oddsmakers believe even though FanDuel prices Flamengo at a wide -500.
For Barcelona, the price is +1200 with the draw at +460.
Flamengo Triumphed in Copa in 2019
However, Flamengo – third in Brazil’s Serie A – is seeking its second Libertadores triumph in three years after its 2-1 win against River Plate in the 2019 final.
It has just seen the end of an impressive unbeaten run of seven wins and a draw across all competitions; losing 1-0 to Gremio in Serie A last weekend.
Meanwhile, Flamengo won its Libertadores group, albeit not totally convincingly with three wins and three draws.
It has, however, been more impressive in the knockout stages.
Ecuador's Barcelona are South America's last hope of preventing all-Brazilian Copa Libertadores final https://t.co/LwZEv2jytm
— Erik “Gabucho” Villavicencio aka Fiera (@ErikVilla6680) September 20, 2021
Firstly, it overcame Defensa Y Justicia 5-1 on aggregate in the last 16.
Then, secondly, it hammered Olimpia of Paraguay 4-1 and 5-1 in the last eight.
Barcelona topped its group ahead of Argentina’s powerhouse Boca Juniors.
Barcelona, meanwhile, is the reigning Ecuadorean champion but is currently in seventh place after losing three of its opening seven matches.
However, it impressively topped its Libertadores group ahead of Argentina’s powerhouse Boca Juniors.
Furthermore, it recovered from a 1-0 last 16 first-leg defeat by Velez Sarsfield to win 3-1 in the return.
Subsequently, in the last eight, it dumped Brazil’s Fluminense by winning on away goals after a 2-2 draw and another 1-1 all-square result.
Back to work! This afternoon, our guys got back to the training field at the Ninho do Urubu, getting ready for our Conmebol Libertadores match! 💪🔴⚫️#CRF #FLAEnglish
📸@mcortesdasilva8 /CRF pic.twitter.com/xkdTmRbMXb
— Flamengo (@Flamengo_en) September 20, 2021
Flamengo was a 2-1 away winner when these sides last met in September 2020.
However, to sum up, these odds are so widely in favor of the Brazilian side that it is worth taking an outside chance on Barcelona showing a stubborn streak and pulling off a tie in the first leg.
Pick: Draw +460
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
