São Paulo vs Palmeiras Odds & Prediction – Copa Libertadores Quarterfinals Leg 1

• It is Sao Paulo vs Palmeiras on Tuesday, August 10, KO 8:30 pm EST
• The Cicero Pompeu de Toledoin hosts this Copa Libertadores quarterfinal first leg
• We preview the game, look at the odds, and offer a best bet below

Sao Paulo entertains the current Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras on Tuesday, August 10 at the Cicero Pompeu de Toledoin, KO 8:30 pm EST, in the first leg of their 2021 quarterfinal.

In order to reach this all-Brazilian quarterfinal, São Paulo beat Racing Club de Avellaneda 4-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, while Palmeiras won 1-0 in both legs of their knockout tie against Universidad Catolica.

We list the odds, preview São Paulo vs Palmeiras, and offer below the best bet for this Copa Libertadores last-16 clash.

São Paulo vs Palmeiras Copa Libertadores Odds

Odds as of August 10th at Bet365

São Paulo Saves Best Form for Copa Libertadores

São Paulo has struggled on the domestic front so far this summer but has looked like a different team in this competition. In the Brasileiro, they currently lie in 16th-place, just one point clear of the drop zone, but their Copa Libertadores campaign has been on a different level, with just a single defeat – in their group game against Racing – and four clean sheets.

🗣️ Vaaaaaamos, meu Tricolor querido! 🎶#DiaDeTricolor #GloriaEterna#VamosSãoPaulo 🇾🇪

📸 Staff Images/CONMEBOL pic.twitter.com/EXXQHgEBV6

— São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) August 10, 2021

In their round of 16 tie – also against Racing – they were able to take a solid 1-1 from the first leg before hitting the gas to win the second 3-1 in clinical style. Their reward was this quarterfinal against the reigning Copa Libertadores champions; Paulo’s first appearance in the last eight of this competition since 2016 when they reached the semifinals before losing to Atlético Nacional of Colombia.

Positives Signs for Crespo’s Men

Despite struggling on the domestic front, they did pick up a trophy – the Campeonato Paulista –  back in May and despite their current lowly position in Serie A, they have recently started to show positive signs, having been unbeaten in four and also qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil. This is the form they have managed to take into the Copa Libertadores.

📍CT da Barra Funda

Treino com foco em mais uma decisão!#VamosSãoPaulo 🇾🇪

📸 Fellipe Lucena / saopaulofc pic.twitter.com/ngk6YgK2Xk

— São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) August 9, 2021

Another positive for São Paulo going into this game is that while Palmeiras are the highest-scoring team left in the competition, Hernan Crespo’s men have a good record against them, particularly from a defensive perspective where they have enjoyed four successive clean sheets and are unbeaten in the last seven head-to-heads.

São Paulo vs Palmeiras Head-to-Head Stats

Palmeiras Still On Course to Defend Title

Palmeiras are battling hard to retain their title and have been impressive throughout the competition, winning seven of their eight games, with their only defeat coming in the group stage when they were beaten 2-1 by Defensa y Justicia of Argentina. They have been scoring goals for fun and have notched an astonishing 22 in those eight games while conceding just seven.

Modo #Libertadores 🔛

Segunda-feira de treino e de entrevista com o atacante que busca o recorde de gols com a nossa camisa na competição: Rony Rústico! Confira completo na TV Palmeiras/FAM ➤ https://t.co/13rOfzAIdF #AvantiPalestra pic.twitter.com/f9nR1cJJIQ

— SE Palmeiras (@Palmeiras) August 10, 2021

In theory, their round of 16 clash with Chile’s Club Deportivo Universidad Católica was a tricky one but they made light work of it with two composed and no-nonsense 1-0 wins. En route to this quarterfinal, Abel Ferreira’s have managed a 100 percent record on the road with four away wins, each game won with a 1-0 scoreline.

This will be the second time these pair have met in a high-profile cup tie this year after São Paulo beat Palmeiras 2-0 over two legs to win the Campeonato Paulista in May, as mentioned above, but while the Palmeiras camp will be unlikely to use the word ‘revenge’ it is clear they will be all out to avoid a repeat.  For Tuesday night’s visitors, this is very familiar territory after having made it to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals for the last four consecutive seasons, with three of those including the minimum of a semifinal place.

🏃‍♂️💥💪#AvantiPalestra pic.twitter.com/cazIdIwnBF

— SE Palmeiras (@Palmeiras) August 9, 2021

São Paulo vs Palmeiras Best Bet

São Paulo’s indifferent league form looks to have leveled out and the signs are positive after going on an unbeaten run of four games. They will look to use this momentum to make life difficult for Palmeiras, against whom they have never lost in this competition – a run stretching eight games.

Palmeiras though will be buoyed by their fine form in this tournament and will not be giving up their title easily. Being the top goalscorers in the 2021 Copa Libertadores will give them confidence, even against São Paulo’s solid defense. While the obvious bet here is the home win, I see Palmeiras’ fine away form continuing and seeing them through to a very narrow first-leg win.

Best Bets: Palmeiras to win  (+210) / Palmeiras to win 1-0 (+550)