- The azulgrana side will decide at La Nueva Olla a tie left 1-1 in São Paulo, with Manuel Roffo as their star and four points taken in Brazil this year.
- Palmeiras, three-time champions of South America, arrive unbeaten in their knockout visits to Paraguay and with the precedent of the ties won over Cerro Porteño in 2018 and 2022.
Cerro Porteño host Palmeiras with the tie level at 1-1 and a statistic that fuels the azulgrana dream: in two visits to Brazil to face the 'Verdão' in this edition, the Paraguayan side have taken four points, including the Group Stage win and the dramatic first-leg draw.
That night in São Paulo followed a shifting script: Palmeiras, even down to ten men after Andreas Pereira was sent off in the 28th minute of the second half, struck first through José Manuel López. But Cerro Porteño never gave up and found their reward in stoppage time, when a dangerous cross from the right — which Pablo Vegetti tried but failed to make contact with — went past Carlos Miguel and ended up in the net for the equaliser.
Cerro Porteño in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026: results, squad and schedule
If the draw traveled to Asunción it was, in large part, thanks to Manuel Roffo: the goalkeeper was the star of the first leg with decisive stops against Vitor Roque and Allan, living up to a campaign in which Ariel Holan's team have gone toe-to-toe with any opponent.
For Palmeiras, three-time champions of South America and perennial contenders, the visit to La Nueva Olla is a test of character: settling away from home a tie that slipped away in stoppage time, in a stadium that promises a scorching atmosphere, against an opponent that has already beaten them in their own house this year.
Tie level at 1-1: any win means qualification and another draw will send the decider to penalties. The winner will meet the victor of Liga de Quito-Mirassol in the quarterfinals.
Palmeiras in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Ueno La Nueva Olla, Asunción
Date and time: Wednesday, August 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG)
VAR: Héctor Paletta (ARG)
Match facts:
- Palmeiras are the team that has hit the woodwork most often in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 (7). Six of those came from José López and Jhon Arias, including one by the Colombian in the first leg against Cerro Porteño.
- Cerro Porteño advanced on each of the last six occasions in which they avoided defeat in an away first leg in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, a run that began in 2019. The last time they failed to go through was in the 2014 round of 16 against Cruzeiro: 1-1 away, 0-2 at home.
- Cerro Porteño will look to become the first team to face Palmeiras four times in a single edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores without losing (W1 D2). On the four previous occasions (Grêmio 1995, Corinthians 1999, Sport Recife 2009 and Boca 2018), the 'Alviverde' won at least one match.
- Palmeiras are unbeaten as visitors in Paraguay in CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout matches: two wins and two draws in four games. Both wins came against Cerro Porteño in the round of 16 (2018 and 2022), while the draws were against Tacuary (2005 preliminary stage) and Libertad (2020 quarterfinals).
- Gustavo Velázquez (Cerro Porteño) is among the four players with the most clearances in the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 since the start of the group stage, with 54 (three fewer than leader Gustavo Henrique, of Corinthians). The 'Albirroja' center-back made 32 clearances in total across the three meetings with Palmeiras in this edition.
