Palmeiras vs Cerro Porteño: prediction & betting odds 12 August 2026

Betting tip 

At the end of the group stage, perhaps surprisingly to some, Palmeiras ceded top spot to Cerro Porteño. The Paraguayan club finished above them largely thanks to four points from the head-to-head meetings. 

Palmeiras are comfortably top of the Brasileiro, so they are still seen as favourites to progress, especially in the match in São Paulo. Abel Ferreira's team did not take maximum points at home: they lost to Cerro Porteño (0:1). Their other opponents' defences were not as reliable — 2:1 against Sporting Cristal and 4:1 against Atlético Junior. The biggest threat to the visitors will be José Manuel López, who has scored 16 goals this season. Flaco has already rested after the World Cup and featured in the last two Serie A matches. However, he did not score. His goal would have been very useful against Internacional. No one managed to find the net (0:0). 

Cerro Porteño, like any Paraguayan team, including the national side, are masters at shutting games down. In the home match, despite Palmeiras' 3.00 xGA, they still managed to keep the score at a respectable low level (1:1). High-scoring games have been fairly common for Cerro Porteño in the domestic league (five of their last eight), but Ariel Holan's team play more cautiously on the international stage: all six group-stage matches have finished under 2.5 goals. Moreover, Both Teams to Score - No has landed in five of them. 

Therefore, the right and safe bet for this match is under 2.5 goals. It is still priced well, at around 1.90 with some bookmakers.