Deportivo Pereira vs Independiente Medellin Prediction: Both Sides Coming off a Win in Libertadores Matchday 3

In the upcoming fixture of Colombia Categoria A, Matchday 18, Deportivo Pereira and Independiente will be up against each other at the Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas in Pereira. According to the table standings of today, Deportivo Pereira stands 15th with 4 wins and 18 points, whereas Independiente Medellin stands 10th with 6 wins and 22 points. With Medellin making rational progress this season, a win in the upcoming fixture could get Independiente Medellin in the top 8 standings. Medellin and Deportivo Pereira last played in December 2022, and Deportivo Pereira won 4-3. Medellin and Pereira have won one match each, and two have resulted in a draw from the last four played between the two. 

Going in the matchup, Deportivo Pereira is coming off a win against Monagas SC (2-1), in which Carlos Ramirez struck the opening goal on penalty and then Jimer Fory scored in the 41st minute of play. With 48% possession and 6 shots on target, Deportivo Pereira dominated the visitors. Though Pereira doesn’t reap the best form in Categoria A, the upcoming matchup could be an interesting one against Medellin. In the last Categoria A outing, Pereira lost the away fixture against La Equidad (2-0). In the last five matches across all competitions, Pereira has scored only three goals and conceded 7 goals. Hence, Pereira is likely to struggle in scoring against Medellin, and the home advantage is likely to be futile as Deportivo Pereira has failed to secure a win in the last six home matches. 

Santiago Londoño; Juan Quintero, Geisson Perea, Carlos Ramírez; Yilmar Velásquez, Eber Moreno, Juan Pablo Zuluaga, Johan Bocanegra, Jimer Fory; Kevin Aladesanmi, Ángelo Rodríguez.

With three wins and two defeats in the last five matches played, Independiente Medellin is missing the element of consistency. In the last outing of Libertadores, Medellin dominated Metropolitanos in most of the phases. Andres Cadavid, Miguel Monsalve, and Luciano Pons scored timely goals, giving themselves a fantastic push. Medellin will be looking to translate the match form from Libertadores to Categoria A. After losing to Atletico Nacional (1-3) at home, Medellin was under reasonable pressure. However, the win in the last Libertadores gave them much comfort. Independiente Medellin has scored 11 goals and conceded 10 goals in the last five matches played across all competitions. Hence, Medellin’s conceding average is a point of concern, as in order to register comprehensive wins, Medellin will have to improve its defense. 

Luis Vasquez; Jonathan Marulanda, Victor Moreno, Andres Cadavid, Daniel Londoño; Andres Ricaurte, Jaime Alvarado, Déinner Quiñónes, Miguel Monsalve, Andres.

Comparing the two teams on paper and their previous match records, Medellin looks quite strong and well-managed compared to Deportivo Pereira. Independiente Medellin has secured two wins from the last three matches away from home. Hence, I believe Medellin is likely to score at least 2 goals and win the matchup. The fixture could also result in a draw if Pereira manages to infiltrate through Medellin’s defense. 

• Double Chance - Draw or Independiente Medellin for 1.50
• Total Under 2.5 for 1.72
• Both Teams To Score - Yes for 1.85