Neymar's side need a comeback. Santos vs Palmeiras Brazil Cup prediction
Santos and Palmeiras will meet on Thursday, 3 September, in the second leg of their Brazil Cup quarter-final. The match will take place in São Paulo, with kick-off at 02:30 CET. I am backing goals in this fixture.
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Head-to-head and statistical facts
- Santos have won just one of their last four home matches.
- Palmeiras are unbeaten in their last four games.
- Palmeiras have failed to win any of their last three away matches in domestic competitions.
- Palmeiras have never beaten Santos away from home in the Brazil Cup.
Santos need an incredible comeback
The second leg is practically Santos' last chance to save their cup campaign. Following a heavy defeat in the first match, the team find themselves in an extremely difficult position: they need to overturn a three-goal deficit to remain in the competition. However, their recent league match against Corinthians should give the hosts confidence, as Santos managed to win the fierce derby 1-0.
One of the key figures for Santos in the upcoming match could be Neymar. He did not play in the first Brazil Cup meeting with Palmeiras, but subsequently returned to the starting line-up in the derby against Corinthians and played an active role in the team's attacking moves. His presence could be particularly important in the second leg, as the hosts will have to look for goals from the opening minutes and take significantly more risks than usual.
Santos' main problem will be finding the right balance between attack and defence. The team need to commit plenty of players forward, but conceding even once would virtually end the hosts' hopes of a comeback. Therefore, the opening minutes could prove decisive: an early goal would bring the tie back to life, while Palmeiras will surely try to preserve their comfortable advantage for as long as possible.
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League leaders close in on Brazil Cup semi-final
Palmeiras head into the second leg in a far more favourable position. Their 3-0 victory in the first match allows Abel Ferreira's side to feel confident ahead of the trip to Vila Belmiro. At the same time, the Green and Whites have no intention of simply sitting back and protecting the scoreline: after the first meeting, the head coach stressed that he would not rest his key players and wanted maximum concentration in every competition.
Palmeiras' current form is generally very convincing. The team are enjoying a strong season and have shown a high level in decisive matches. In the first quarter-final against Santos, Palmeiras completely controlled the game and could have won by an even wider margin, which only underlined the gap between the two sides on the night.
However, immediately before the second leg, Palmeiras were unable to beat Mirassol in Serie A, drawing the match. On the other hand, the setback did not affect their position in the table, as Palmeiras remain top.
For the visitors, the key task will be to manage their advantage intelligently. Palmeiras do not need to throw themselves forward from the opening minutes, as the first-leg scoreline allows them to take a more pragmatic approach. At the same time, the team have enough quick and technically gifted players to exploit the spaces that will inevitably appear when Santos commit large numbers of players forward.
Probable line-ups
- Santos: Gabriel Brazão, Escobar, Luan Peres, Lucas Veríssimo, Igor Vinícius, Otero, Willian Arão, Bontempo, Barreal, Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa.
- Palmeiras: Carlos Miguel, Arthur Gabriel, Gómez, Murilo, Giay, Andreas Pereira, Marlon Freitas, Maurício, Arias, López, Vitor Roque.
What to bet on?
Santos will surely look to start the match as aggressively as possible at home and score an early goal, but overturning a three-goal deficit against Palmeiras looks extremely difficult. The visitors are in good form and already demonstrated their superiority in this tie in the first leg. The hosts are expected to attack in numbers, giving Palmeiras opportunities to threaten on the counter-attack. The visitors should comfortably protect their advantage and reach the Brazil Cup semi-finals. My pick is Palmeiras over 1 goal on the team total.
