Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal

Sporting Cristal face a daunting challenge on Wednesday as they travel to Sao Paulo to take on Group G winners Palmeiras in the final round of the Copa Libertadores group stage. Even a surprise victory may not be enough to keep their hopes alive in this year’s tournament.

While Palmeiras have already sealed their spot in the knockout stage, Cristal sit three points behind second-placed Cerro Porteño and hold a worse goal difference. The Peruvians are on the brink of elimination and need both a win and a favorable result elsewhere to advance.

Palmeiras clinched the top spot in the group with a game to spare after a 2-0 win over Bolivar, marking their fifth straight victory in the competition. Their dominance has been clear — they've led games for a total of 333 minutes, more than any other team, and remain the only side yet to fall behind in the group stage.

Although they suffered a rare defeat to Flamengo (2-0) in league play on Sunday, Abel Ferreira's squad still tops Brazil’s Serie A and are positioning themselves well for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. With depth in the squad and star player Estevao set to join Chelsea after the tournament, Ferreira is expected to rotate his lineup while still aiming to preserve an impressive 22-match unbeaten run at home in the Libertadores.

Their previous clash with Sporting Cristal in Lima was a thriller, with Estevao opening the scoring and Richard Rios grabbing a dramatic stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 victory for Palmeiras.

Since that defeat, Cristal have struggled, picking up just four points from four matches. A recent home loss to Cerro Porteño has left them in third place and facing the prospect of dropping into the Copa Sudamericana.

Cerro Porteño, with seven points, only need to avoid a heavy loss to last-placed Bolivar to secure qualification — leaving Cristal with a slim path forward that depends on an unlikely swing in results.

The Peruvian side did earn a rare point in Brazil earlier this campaign, drawing with Fluminense to snap a 12-game losing streak in the country. However, they’ll now need to defy the odds again, as Paulo Autuori’s side — currently eighth in Peru’s Apertura — must win at Allianz Parque and hope for a miracle to avoid elimination.