Palmeiras vs Junior Prediction: Verdao to confirm knockout spot

All four teams in Copa Libertadores Group F have something to play for heading into the final round of fixtures, especially Junior de Baranquilla, who must beat Palmeiras at Allianz Parque on Thursday (7pm local, 11pm BST) to stand any chance of prolonging their continental campaign.

Below are my Palmeiras vs Junior predictions, alongside all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this midweek meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Team News

Benedetti, Vitor Roque (both ankle), Bruno Fuchs (hamstring), Joaquin Piquerez (knee) and Roman Sosa (unspecified) miss out for Palmeiras due to injury.

Football Odds

Ex-Atalanta striker Luis Muriel is the star name in Junior's squad, and the 35-year-old Colombian could start in Sao Paulo after only coming off the bench in the second half of their last game.

Head-to-head record

Palmeiras won the first four meetings between the two teams across 2018 and 2019, but in the fifth and most recent head-to-head, in Cartagena last month, Junior took a 10th-minute lead through veteran Teofilo Gutierrez before Sosa hit back in the 56th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw.

Palmeiras vs Junior Odds

Palmeiras, who beat Sporting Cristal 2-1 in their opening home game before losing 1-0 to Cerro Porteno in their second, are 1/4 favourites here, implying an 80% probability of success.

Junior, pointless on their travels having lost 1-0 at Cerro Porteno and 2-0 at Sporting Cristal, are 10/1, or a 9.1% chance, to shock the hosts, with the draw offered at 4/1.

To Win to Nil - Palmeiras @ 8/11

Junior are yet to score or record a point on their Group F travels, and their chances of finishing third, ahead of Sporting Cristal, are slim, as they need to beat Palmeiras and hope the Peruvian side lose away to Cerro Porteno.

Palmeiras, meanwhile, need a draw to confirm second place and a spot in the last 16, while a win, coupled with a defeat for Cerro Porteno, would see them clinch top spot ahead of the Paraguayans.

Verdao have failed to win any of their last three games across all competitions, drawing 1-1 at home to Santos and Cruzeiro in the Campeonato Brasileiro before losing 1-0 to Cerro Porteno, but prior to that, they had won 10 matches in a row at Allianz Parque, keeping a clean sheet in half (five).

Junior have won just one of their last five away games in all competitions (D2, L2), failing to score in both defeats, and look likely to leave Sao Paulo without a goal this week.

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