São Paulo vs Novorizontino Prediction: São Paulo can't underestimate its opponent

São Paulo's qualification for the quarter-finals wasn't a surprise, but it was hard to achieve. It wasn't until the 98th minute, through a penalty scored by Lucas Moura, the former Tottenham player, that the São Paulo fans could breathe a sigh of relief. Ituano made it 2-2 in the 89th minute and left Thiago Carpini's team briefly out of the knockout stage. Fortunately for the Tricolor, a miraculous penalty came along, and the team got the result it needed to qualify.

The Paulistão will always be a competition that São Paulo will want to win. Winning the trophy symbolizes superiority over the city rivals, something always significant to the club and its fans. Beating Novorizontino is a must while losing will be embarrassing. It’s a tricky game for São Paulo as the Série B club has already shown quality this season. The Tricolor must not underestimate the Tiger of the Valley that drew with Palmeiras and beat Santos and Corinthians away from home.

In its last match, the team from Novo Horizonte beat Portuguesa 2-0 at home and secured qualification. Group D was the most competitive in the Paulistão, with three teams separated by just one point. Had São Paulo not scored in the 98th minute of its match, Novorizontino would have won the group, and São Bernardo would have been runner-up. The team dreams about the semi-finals and will enter the Morumbi with that goal in mind. Its run in the Paulistão and in the Série B last season, when it almost made it to the top flight, shows the Novorizontino quality.

São Paulo is the favorite due to its history in the competition, which it has won 22 times, along with its current momentum in Brazilian football, being the holder of the Copa do Brasil and Supercopa do Brazil. The fact that it is playing at home also weighs heavily, so it would be unexpected for the Tricolor to lose. Novorizontino will be looking to pull off a surprise and make life difficult for São Paulo. The Tiger has already done that to big clubs this season. I'm betting that both teams will score.