Barcelona SC vs São Paulo Prediction: The Paulistas want to bring home points

São Paulo has appointed a new coach. It's Luis Zubeldía, who last year won the Copa Sudamericana with LDU Quito. As fate would have it, the Argentine will debut in Guayaquil against Barcelona, a club he knows well, having coached the Ecuadorians at the start of his career. São Paulo is second in the group with three points, one more than Barcelona SC. The Paulistas aim to bring home points and remain in a position to qualify.

The Idol has two appearances in the Copa Libertadores final in its history, in 1990 and 1998. Last year, Barcelona came third in the group stage and was eliminated, having to play in the Copa Sudamericana. This season, the Guayaquil side has two draws in the competition and still in with a chance of qualifying, but it needs a good result in the upcoming match. The 2-2 draw with Talleres at home was a difficult result to digest. The goal conceded in the 96th minute that gave the Argentinians a draw could have consequences for the Ecuadoreans' qualification for the knockout stage. Now, Barcelona SC can't lose the match against São Paulo.

The Tricolor Paulista managed to win after two straight defeats that cost Thiago Carpini his job. In the 3-0 victory against Atlético Goianiense, Milton Cruz, an interim coach, led the team. The game turned out to be easy due to the sending-off of an Atlético player. The team and Zubeldía now have two crucial matches. First in Ecuador with Barcelona and a few days later with Palmeiras. São Paulo must avoid defeat in Guayaquil to maintain second place in the group and to build morale for the King's Clash, the Paulista derby.

It will be hard for both sides, which are, above all, forbidden to lose. A draw favors the Brazilians more, so it's likely that they'll play more expectantly, waiting to launch counter-attacks. A victory would be excellent for Barcelona, but the team can't afford to take too many risks and leave space for São Paulo. I'm going for a Double Chance in favor of the home side, although I think a draw is the most likely outcome.