The playoff matches continue on the road to the Round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. The do-or-die clashes begin to define the champion of the tournament. That’s why the second chances are behind us. Cerro Porteño and Athletico Paranaense know this very well. The two teams will face off next Thursday, July 18, with a clear objective: to qualify for the Round of 16.
This clash could be one of the most exciting matchups in the playoffs. Two historic teams of South American football are facing each other and are having similar seasons. On one hand, the team managed by the Uruguayan Martín Varini Di Zioli is not experiencing its best days and is quite inconsistent in its results. For this reason, it finished in second place in Group E, where it was the favorite. Meanwhile, Cerro Porteño, despite tying points with Colo Colo, ended up descending to the Copa Sudamericana. Therefore, it will put everything on the line to bring home the second half of South American glory. However, to do this, it must defeat the Brazilian team without its star player: Cecilio Domínguez.
Best Bets Cerro Porteño vs Athletico Paranaense
All odds are courtesy of Codere, correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Cerro Porteño, the return of a giant to the Sudamericana
If there is a team that is meant to be a protagonist in the Copa Sudamericana, it is undoubtedly Cerro Porteño. The team led by Manolo Jiménez is favored to take the tie. For this reason, the balance tips in favor of the Paraguayan team.
Taking this into account, one of the bets focuses on Cerro Porteño scoring first. This is because the Paraguayan team scored first in 2 of its last 3 matches. Similarly, its rival, Athletico Paranaense, conceded the first goal in 3 of its last 4 matches. This happened against Bahia, Atlético Goianiense, and Sao Paulo.
For this reason, considering that the Ciclón will strike first is within expectations for this matchup of history.
Best Bets Cerro Porteño vs Athletico-PR
Photo:
olga Yastremska / Alamy Stock Photo
Goals are invited to the evening at La Nueva Olla
For this match, goals will be present. Both Cerro Porteño and Athletico Paranaense are teams with high effectiveness in front of the opponent’s goal. Neither of them is allergic to goals. For this reason, there are two bets focusing on the total number of goals.
The first prediction points to a total of 0.5 goals in the first half. This is due to each team’s history. Cerro Porteño scored at least once in the first half in 3 of its last 5 matches. Meanwhile, Paranaense did so in 3 of its last 4 matches.
The second prediction focuses on the total goals within regulation time. This points to over 2.5. Though it seems a bit difficult to reach, mainly due to Cerro Porteño’s lack of rhythm. But the Paraguayans are experts at giving their all in every game, so there will be no worries. In their last 3 games, they scored 5 goals. Meanwhile, the Uruguayan Varini’s team exceeded the 2.5 mark in the scoreboard in 4 of their last 4 games.
In this line of thought, it is expected that the scoreboard will surpass 2.5 and that in the first half, the goals will be over 0.5. Especially when two historic teams from the continent, such as Cerro Porteño and Athletico Paranaense, are facing each other.