Cerro Porteno and Palmeiras meet again on Wednesday in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16, and this one decides who goes on. The tie is level after a 1-1 first leg in Sao Paulo, so a win sends either side into the quarterfinals and another draw would take the series to penalties.
For Palmeiras, the biggest change is the absence of Andreas Pereira. He was sent off in the opening match and is suspended for the return leg, despite already supplying 10 assists this season. That matters because Palmeiras lose not just a runner, but one of the players who can turn possession into the final pass, which forces the team to reshape its midfield around his absence rather than simply replace a name on the team sheet.
The first leg gave a neat snapshot of why this pairing keeps producing tight games. Flaco Lopez put Palmeiras ahead, then an own goal by goalkeeper Carlos Miguel brought Cerro level late. That result extended a rivalry that has become unusually familiar in this competition: the teams are meeting for the 19th time, Palmeiras lead the overall series, but Cerro Porteno have already beaten them 1-0 at Allianz Parque and also drawn 1-1 with them at La Nueva Olla earlier in the competition.
That record explains why Wednesday’s match feels less like a formality and more like a test of whether Palmeiras can finish what they started without one of their most productive midfield pieces. Cerro Porteno have already shown they can live with Palmeiras in this Libertadores, and now they get the return leg at Estadio ueno La Nueva Olla with the series still alive and the margin for error gone.
The match kicks off at 6:00 PM ET, with CONMEBOL listing it for 7:00 PM local time in Paraguay. In the United States, it will be available on beIN SPORTS, with streaming on beIN SPORTS CONNECT and Fubo. New Fubo subscribers can access Cerro Porteno vs. Palmeiras through the free trial, and the platform currently lists a 5-day free trial on several featured plans.
What happens next is straightforward and unforgiving. The winner advances, the loser is out, and if neither side separates itself in 90 minutes, penalties will decide it. For Andreas Pereira, the question is not whether he can influence this leg — he cannot — but how much Palmeiras can absorb the loss of a midfielder with 10 assists when the season is balanced on one night in Paraguay.
