Comments and predictions for Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal: The last ticket went up in smoke

Latest Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal team information

Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira will return to management after a domestic ban, while Richard Rios has also completed his suspension and could replace Lucas Evangelista in midfield if the home side field a strong lineup.

Due to disciplinary issues, Gustavo Gomez and Murilo will miss the Serie A clash with Cruzeiro – the final game before the Club World Cup – but are available for Wednesday. Felipe Anderson is the only player who is certain to miss out due to a thigh injury.

In defense, Gomez just had his 50th win in the Libertadores with Palmeiras – a record only bettered by Rogerio Ceni (51 for Sao Paulo) and Weverton (53 for Palmeiras).

Up front, Vitor Roque – the most expensive signing in Brazilian football history – will likely partner Estevao, unless coach Ferreira decides to rotate.

Estevao – who will move to the Premier League in the summer – was suspended over the weekend but scored three goals in Group G. Meanwhile, Martin Cauteruccio is Sporting Cristal's top scorer with two goals.

Cauteruccio recently became the fourth oldest player to score a brace in Libertadores history when he scored both goals in a 2–1 win over Bolivar at the age of 38 years and 24 days.

Cristal are still without captain Yoshimar Yotun – who is out with a long-term injury – along with Luis Iberico, Renato Solis and Santiago Gonzalez.

Latest expected lineup Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal

Palmeiras:
Weverton; Rocha, Fuchs, Cerqueira, Piquerez; Rios, Martínez; Estevao, Mauricio, Luigi; Roque

Sporting Cristal:
Enriquez; Lora, Romero, Lutiger, Pasquini; Pretell, Tavara, Wisdom; Gonzales, Cauteruccio, Pacheco

Latest football commentary Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal

Closing the group stage as the top of Group G with a game to spare, Palmeiras defeated Bolivar 2-0 at home in their most recent outing in South America's top competition, thereby securing their fifth consecutive win in the Copa Libertadores.

The team has been absolutely dominant from the start of the tournament, leading for more minutes than any other team in this year's tournament – ​​333 minutes in total – and is also the only team yet to have been behind in the group stage.

Despite suffering a rare 0-2 defeat against title contenders Flamengo in the Brazilian National Championship on Sunday, coach Abel Ferreira's team still showed stable performance at home.

The Sao Paulo state club are one point clear at the top of Serie A after winning seven of their first 10 games, and are preparing hard for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup campaign.

Although youngster Estevao is expected to join Chelsea after the tournament, the three-time European champions have invested heavily in their squad and Ferreira could even rotate his squad for Wednesday's game.

However, Palmeiras still want to protect their 22-match unbeaten streak at home in the Libertadores, so they will not take their opponents lightly in the final round.

The first leg between the two sides in Lima in April was a dramatic affair: Estevao opened the scoring before both sides added two more goals in the final 30 minutes, and Richard Rios sealed the win in injury time for Palmeiras.

Since that match, Sporting Cristal have only gained four points in four matches, most recently a crucial defeat to Cerro Porteno – the Paraguayan side currently second in the table and pushing Cristal down to third, facing the risk of dropping into the Copa Sudamericana.

With 7 points, Cerro Porteno only needs to avoid a heavy defeat against bottom-placed Bolivar, so Cristal's chances of making it to the knockout round of this year's Libertadores are slim, unless there is a major change in the final round.

In their last visit to Brazil, Cristal held Fluminense to a draw, ending a 12-match losing streak in South America's number one football country.

Now, Paulo Autuori's side – who are eighth in the Peruvian Apertura – will have to win away at Palmeiras and hope for a miracle.

Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal latest score prediction

Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristalas follows:

• Sportsmole:Palmeiras 3-0 Sporting Cristal

• WhoScore:Palmeiras 2-0 Sporting Cristal
• Our newspaper predicts:Palmeiras 2-0 Sporting Cristal

When and where to watch Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal live?

To watch the live match Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores tournament taking place at 7:30 on May 29, viewers can watch it on online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.