Athletico PR vs Cerro Porteño: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

When Athletico Paranaense and Cerro Porteno meet on Thursday at Ligga Arena, one team will advance to the round of 16.

Since El Paranaense scored an equalizer in the second half to pull even, and since the first meeting between the two teams last week ended in a 1-1 draw, the score is now even.

Head-to-head and previous matches

The Brazilians' two-match losing streak in this tournament ended last week with a hard-fought victory, as their second-half charge was ultimately rewarded.

Paranaense has collected seven points in the Brazilian top division this season despite losing 1-0, but it was the first time they achieved a good result after losing the first goal.

Although they won their inaugural Sudamericana match at Ligga Arena, 6-0 against Rayo Zuliano, Martin Varini's squad has struggled at home this tournament, losing both group matches by a single goal.

Since Flamengo eliminated them in the second round of the 2015 Sudamericana (2-0 on aggregate), this team has always succeeded in reaching the last 16.

They have yet to win back-to-back home games in any tournament since beating Internacional 1-0 in late April and then Vasco da Gama 1-0 in early May, so Thursday's game might be their first opportunity to do it.

They hadn't lost a Sudamericana semifinal match while tied or down after the first leg since the 2015 quarterfinals when Paraguay's Sportivo Luqueno advanced 2-1 on aggregate following a 2-0 second-leg victory.

Estadio General Pablo Rojas isis the venue for Cerro Porteno's home games. The team has gone winless in three straight matches across all competitions.

They let in a goal in the first leg of this match for the first time since a 2-0 home loss to Luqueno in early June, their last such incident.

In Manolo Jimenez's previous four competitive road games, his squad has allowed only one goal while looking far more balanced and comfortable defensively.

They have advanced to the round of 16 or farther in each of their prior three tournament appearances, and this is their first participation in the knockout round since 2017.

When they were deadlocked in the second match, they had yet to go beyond the knockout round since the first round in the 2017 Copa Sudamericana.

After a 3-1 quarterfinal victory against Botafogo in 2009, El Ciclon went on to win the match 5-2 on aggregate, marking their last victory at this tournament in Brazil.

Atletico PR x Cerro Porteno Team News

The Filipino, who is battling an illness, was absent from El Paranaense last week and may not be able to play in this encounter.

Christian scored their first goal of the Sudamericana season in the 69th minute to give them the lead in the first leg.

While Bruno Valdez and Lucas Quintana were absent for Porteno's first match against Paranaense with cruciate ligament injuries, Alexis Martin Arias came on as a halftime substitute for Jean, and the health of the Brazilian goalkeepers is uncertain for this encounter.

Last Wednesday, Miguel Benitez scored the first goal of the 2024 tournament, but it wasn't enough. Diego Churin, who had a late penalty for putting his side ahead by one, missed it.

Our Predictions

Full time draw @ 3.85 on Sky247.ng

When playing away from home, the Paraguayans have appeared quite comfortable, while El Paranaense have been completely overwhelmed by the home crowd. Other than that, these two teams are very well matched.

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