Cerro Porteno vs. Athletico: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

In a first-ever round-of-32 matchup in the Copa Sudamericana, Cerro Porteno and Athletico Paranaense will square off on Thursday at Asuncion's General Pablo Rojas Stadium.

After placing third in their Copa Libertadores group, the 34-time Paraguayan champions were demoted to this competition, while El Paranaense finished second in Group E, behind Sportivo Ameliano.

Head-to-head and previous matches

On their last matchday, Porteno played to a 1-1 tie with Colo-Colo, meaning they failed to achieve their goal of advancing to the next round of the Copa Libertadores.

The fact that Manolo Jimenez and his squad are participating in the Sudamericana for the first time since 2016–17 is a consolation prize, especially considering that in their last three outings, they had advanced to the round of 16.

El Azulgrana were perfect at home in the 2024 Libertadores group stage, losing only one of their three matches.

El Ciclon hasn't lost the first leg of a two-legged contest since their 2016 round of 16 encounters against Independiente Santa Fe, when they were 2-0 down.

When Boca Juniors defeated them 4-1 in a home elimination match in November 2014 at Estadio Defensores del Chaco, it was almost ten years ago.

In 2009, when Paraguayan teams competed in this event, they reached the semi-finals but lost both matches against Fluminense. However, they did win two of their three home games against Brazilian opponents.

After dominating their first four matches, Athletico Paranaense started to falter in the latter stages of the group stage.

Furacao dominated their first four matches, winning a total of 16-2. However, they narrowly lost their last two group matches, narrowly missing out on an automatic spot in the round of 16.

Paranaense advanced to the next round of the Copa do Brasil with a 3-0 victory against Yprianga in Martin Varini's debut match as coach of the squad last weekend.

Defensor Sporting's 2023 Copa Uruguay winning coach takes over a team that has won back-to-back away games in the Brasileiro Serie A and all three of their road matches in the Sudamericana group stage.

With victories in 2021 and 2018, this squad has shown that it can flourish in Sudamericana knockout matches.

El Paranaense defeated Cerro Porteno on penalties in an exciting last-16 match at the 2005 Copa Libertadores, their first encounter in a continental club tournament, with the aggregate score tied at 3-3.

Cerro Porteno vs. Athletico Paranaense

In Cerro Porteno's last group match at the Libertadores, Alan Benitez was sent off, and cruciate ligament tears would likely sideline Bruno Valdez and Lucas Quintana for Thursday's match.

Federico Carrizo scored twice in the Libertadores group stage this year, and Jean had two clean sheets at home.

Paranaense may be without Felipinho this week as he recovers from an illness; Nikao is nursing a thigh ailment; and Agustin Canobbio is available after helping Uruguay win bronze at the Copa America.

Although Gonzalo Mastriani has scored five goals for them thus far in the competition, their last goal came in a 2-1 loss to Danubio on matchday five, when Lucas Di Yorio scored.

Our Predictions

Athletico Paranaense to win @2.77 on Sky247.ng

It will likely take Porteno some time to get going in this one since they haven't played in a competitive game in over two weeks.

Given their resilience in these knockout matches, we expect Paranaense to overcome what could be a frustrating defense.

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