Palmeiras vs Liverpool Prediction: Palmeiras aims for its first win

The Brazilian champion started the Copa Libertadores with a draw in Argentina against San Lorenzo. It was a tricky match for the Verdão, which equalized in the 81st minute through a masterful free kick from Piquerez. Abel Ferreira rested some of his starters for the Paulistão final some days later. The Portuguese coach may rotate the team again against Liverpool of Uruguay, as the Brasileirão will also start next weekend, and the final against Santos was intense. Palmeiras has a squad full of options and will for sure field a competitive team to pick up its first win in the competition.

The Pig won the Paulistão for the third time in a row, a feat that hadn't happened for 90 years. After losing the first leg 1-0, Palmeiras turned things around and won 2-0 at home with goals from Raphael Veiga, from the penalty spot, and Aníbal Moreno. Rotating the players in a heavy schedule was crucial for winning the final, and now the Verdão is more confident for the Brasileirão and the Copa Libertadores group stage. The draw in Argentina turned out to be a good result, and now, against the least strong team in the group, in theory, the likely rotation of players probably shouldn't be felt.

The Uruguayan champion drew at home with Independiente del Valle in the Copa Libertadores Matchday 1. The Montevideo side had a tough time against the Ecuadorians, who had 64% possession despite playing away from home. Liverpool was trailing but managed to equalize in the 78th minute with a goal from Luciano Rodríguez. It's probably the most balanced group in the Copa Libertadores, and the Black and Blues will be aiming for the best possible finish despite being the less experienced club of the four in Group F.

Abel Ferreira will likely use three or four of his usual substitutes in the starting eleven to rest some players like Zé Rafael and Endrick. The young star was substituted in the Santos match with a minor injury. These possible changes shouldn't affect the team's strength, which is the favorite to win the game. I'm backing the Verdão to win with a maximum of three goals scored, which has odds of 1.81.