Palmeiras hosts Sampaio Correa in the second leg of Copa do Brasil 1/8 finals. The match will be played on Friday, May 31st at Allianz Parque (Sao Paulo)
In the first away match of the cup 1/8 finals, Palmeiras used a reserve squad. It was understood that Sampaio would put a bus, because it was the defense that became the main trump card of the Bolivianos who managed to win the historic title of Nordestao. You shouldn’t compare the northeastern tournament with the Brazil Cup, but Sampaio failed to gain a foothold even in Serie B last year. Having relegated to the third division, the team lost in terms of quality, so getting into such a high stage of the Brazil Cup and meeting with the current champion did not promise anything good.
However, Sampaio played decently at home and could have held back the favorite’s onslaught, if not for the goalkeeper's mistake in the end. The goal scored by Palmeiras in the final seconds was a lesson for coach Scolari, whose team had experienced obvious difficulties in the creative part in previous matches. The subsequent match with Botafogo turned out like a cup one. Palmeiras won through the conversion of a controversial penalty. Despite the advantage gained in Maranhão, Scolari is unlikely to repeat the mistakes he made. He should not do a such great rotation.
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Some changes to the starting lineup do not depend on the desires of the coach. Defender Luan suffered a muscle injury, and Carlos will be an obvious substitute. Gomez was called to defend the colors of Brazil in the South American Cup and has to devote himself to training. If this does not happen, Dracena will close the position and guarantee defensive reliability for Palmeiras. Of course, the changes should relate to midfield and attack. Palmeiras is the leader of Serie A, and the next meeting with an outsider from Chapeco allows it to use a more aggressive lineup against Sampaio.
Sampaio had less time to prepare for the second leg. On May 27, it blew down in the game with Ferroviario (3:1), taking a step towards a comeback to Serie B, but there is no sense in comparing the forces of the top and third divisions. However, now the upcoming visitors have nothing to lose, so they can play desperately. Goalkeeper Andrei, whose mistake led to the goal conceded at Castelao, was subjected to very severe criticism, so Everton may appear in the frame. I do not think that this will help the underdog, and its attack is very weak for the Brazilian champion playing at home.
Truth be told, Palmeiras was not a very productive team from an offensive point of view. In addition to the only goal conceded in Maceio, all other matches of the team are victories with a clean sheet since April. After the home defeat to Santos (4:0), 2 consecutive minimal victories of the leader seem to be a shortfall. Now, the opponent will take risks, so the attack of Palmeiras must create enough dangerous attempts and score more than once.
Let me emphasize that Palmeiras has enormous defensive strength. 22 whitewashes in 29 matches of the current calendar year is a more than convincing indicator.
Prediction for the match: One team to score – no and Over 1.5 goals scored
