Palmeiras will face Sporting Cristal at 7pm Brasília time on Tuesday, May 5, in a Conmebol Libertadores Group F match at Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, Peru. The game will be refereed by Argentina's Dario Herrera.
Sporting Cristal enter the fourth round as the current group leader with six points, while Palmeiras are looking to move to the top of the section. The Lima club also arrive with domestic concerns, sitting 12th in the Peruvian league with 15 points after 13 matches.
For Zé Ricardo, the challenge is to manage a squad still missing injured Christofer Gonzáles, even if Cris Silva and Gustavo Cazonatti are expected to be the two Brazilians on the field. Palmeiras, meanwhile, should have Allan and Sosa back among the starting 11, while Paulinho is expected to get more minutes as the match goes on.
The injuries continue to shape Palmeiras' plans, with Píquerez and Vitor Roque still out while recovering from surgeries. That leaves the visitors with enough strength to chase control in Lima, but also with enough absences to make the night less straightforward than the standings suggest.
Palmeiras had just failed to beat Santos in the derby, but kept their Brasileirão lead after Flamengo slipped up. That result gives the club a short runway and a clear target: leave Lima with the points needed to keep pressure on in the group and stay in position to push for the knockout rounds from the conmebol libertadores.