Corinthians vs Palmeiras Prediction: Two enemies head to the Arena with confidence

Considered the biggest derby in São Paulo and one of the biggest in the world, the match between Corinthians and Palmeiras is called the "Derby Paulista" or simply "The Derby." These two great rivals have met 332 times on an official level. Palmeiras has won 121 matches against 112 for Corinthians. The teams drew 99 times. The home team, the Timão, is doing poorly in the league, occupying a modest 13th place. Champion Palmeiras is in second place, 11 points behind top-of-the-table Botafogo. This week, both clubs qualified for the semi-finals of the international competitions in which they are involved. Corinthians will battle Fortaleza for a place in the last two of the Copa Sudamericana, and Palmeiras will face Boca Juniors to reach the grand final of the Copa Libertadores. Both teams will enter the Arena confident and eager to beat the enemy.

The Paulistas managed to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana final with great suffering and, why not say it, a lot of luck. After losing 1-0 and seeing Estudiantes send four balls into the posts of Cássio's goal, Corinthians won in the penalty shootout with two more balls sent against the crossbar by the Argentinians. In its last Série A fixture, Corinthians drew 1-1 at home to Goiás, with Vanderlei Luxemburgo resting players for the difficult battle against Estudiantes. The Timão succeeded in its task in Argentina and is one step closer to winning a title, the only one it can achieve this season. The ideal way to conclude this week would be to beat its old rivals. Corinthians will have to play much better than in the team's last two games.

After a comfortable 4-0 win in Colombia in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores, the Verdão did the bare minimum against Deportivo Pereira in the second leg. A dull 0-0 was enough for Palmeiras to progress to its fourth consecutive semi-final in the competition. It was the Paulistas' sixth consecutive clean sheet. Abel Ferreira's team seems to have regained the solidity and confidence it displayed in recent years. Palmeiras will enter the field after knowing the result of the match between Botafogo and Flamengo. Still, whatever the outcome of the Clássico Carioca, the Verdão will want to beat Corinthians. It's not just any game. It's the Derby.

The Palmeiras players are still the Brazil champions, and they like this kind of game. In Round 3 in April, the Verdão won 2-1 at home. The team is going through a good moment, and its defensive organization is at a high level, so in theory, Palmeiras has a better chance of winning the Derby Paulista. Corinthians is playing at home and is motivated, so on a good day, it could cause problems for any team. I'm going for a Double Chance in favor of Palmeiras with Total Goals under 3.5.