Thursday's Copa Sudamericana predictions including Boca Juniors vs. Cruzeiro

Athletico PR vs. Belgrano (Thursday, 11.00pm)

Athletico Paranaense and Belgrano will face off at Arena da Baixada in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round of 16 tie on Thursday.

The hosts overcame Cerro Porteno 3-2 on aggregate in the previous round while the visitors secured automatic qualification to the last 16 by topping Group C.

We say: Athletico Paranaense 1-1 Belgrano

Athletico-PR have been inconsistent at home in recent weeks and throughout this competition, while Belgrano remain unbeaten away from home in the current Sudamericana campaign, which is why we predict a positive result for the visitors.

Libertad vs. Ameliano (Thursday, 11.00pm)

Club Libertad and Sportivo Ameliano will face off in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16, with the first leg set to get underway at Estadio ueno Defensores del Chaco on Thursday night.

The winner of the tie between these Paraguayan Primera Division rivals will move on to face either Boca Juniors or Cruzeiro in the quarter-final of the competition later this month.

We say: Club Libertad 2-0 Sportivo Ameliano

While Sportivo Ameliano came through the group stages with flying colours, their form since then has been dismal, particularly in attack, where they have failed to score in four of their last five games.

Libertad have not been at their absolute best in recent weeks either, but their record against this opponent is hard to ignore, and we feel they will secure a first-leg lead in this tie fairly comfortably.

Boca Juniors vs. Cruzeiro (Friday, 1.30am)

Boca Juniors and Cruzeiro return to action in the Copa Sudamericana when they square off at the Estadio Alberto Jose Armando in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash on Friday morning.

This will be the first encounter between the two sides since they met in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals back in 2018, when the Argentine outfit picked up a 3-1 aggregate victory.

We say: Boca Juniors 2-0 Cruzeiro

Having won just two of their last eight away games, Cruzeiro will need to be at their best at the Estadio Alberto Jose Armando as they look to take a first-leg advantage back to Brazil. However, Boca Juniors have been near impenetrable on home turf and we are backing them to come away with the desired results