Palmeiras line-up: Abel Ferreira gets ‘boost’ for Libertadores clash | OneFootball

Palmeiras completed preparations on Wednesday morning (15) at the Football Academy for the clash against Sporting Cristal. The match will take place this Thursday (16), at 7 p.m., at Allianz Parque, in the CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage.

The team, under the guidance of the coaching staff, began the day with muscle activation activities at the center of excellence, followed by a video session with tactical instructions. On the pitch, the squad worked on aspects such as marking, defensive balance, and positioning, all key for the continental showdown.

In the final part of training, the players took part in a relaxed recreational session before the midfielders and forwards focused on crosses and finishing. Among the individual highlights, Paulinho followed an internal schedule after an increased workload in recent days, while Vitor Roque, still in physical transition, took part normally in all activities.

Head-to-head record and confidence at home

Recent history favors Verdão. The teams met in the 2025 group stage, with two Palmeiras victories: 3-2 in Lima and an emphatic 6-0 thrashing in São Paulo — the only meeting between the clubs at Allianz Parque. In 2013, each team won once.

In addition, Palmeiras is on a 26-match unbeaten run at home in the Libertadores, with 17 wins and nine draws since May 2021. The streak places the club among the longest in the competition’s history. At Allianz Parque, the overall record is dominant: 50 matches, 35 wins, 11 draws, and only four defeats.

Strong group-stage campaigns

The São Paulo club’s recent performance in the group stage has also stood out. In the last eight editions of the Libertadores, Palmeiras posted the best campaign on six occasions, including three in a row between 2018 and 2020. In 2022, the club achieved a historic feat by winning all six matches, with a goal difference of 22.

Since 2018, Verdão has played 49 group-stage matches, with 41 wins, five draws, and only three defeats — an 87% success rate. Considering all Libertadores matches in the period, the total is 94 games, with 63 wins, 20 draws, and 11 defeats.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.