Preview: Palestino vs Gremio - prediction, team news, lineups

Palestino and Gremio return to action in Group F of the Copa Sudamericana when they go head to head at the Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna in matchday three on Wednesday.

Both sides will be keen on a positive result here, with the Brazilian outfit currently second in the group standings with three points from the opening two games, while the hosts have managed just one point from the first six available.

Match preview

It has been a challenging start to the continental campaign for Palestino, who find themselves rock-bottom in Group F after failing to taste victory in their opening two matches.

Cristian Munoz’s men kicked off the 2026 Copa Sudamericana with a goalless draw against Deportivo Riestra in Argentina on April 8, one week before suffering a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Montevideo City Torque.

Back home, Palestino have blown hot and cold in the Chilean top flight, picking up 14 points from their 11 matches so far to sit 11th in the league standings, level on points with Universidad de Concepcion and Deportes La Serena.

Having secured an impressive 1-0 victory over Colo-Colo on April 19 to make it two back-to-back league wins, the Tricolor were sent back to earth last weekend when they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Deportes Concepcion at the Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna.

Palestino have managed just two wins of their last ten matches, including four defeats in their most recent five home matches in all competitions, a run which has seen them come under pressure ahead of Wednesday’s crunch tie.

Having taken over the reins at the helm of affairs following a successful stint with Universidad de Concepcion, head coach Munoz will be looking to make his mark in his first outing on the continental stages and help the Palestino surpass their best-ever performance run in international competitions, which came in 1997, when they reached the Copa Libertadores semi-finals.

On the other hand, Gremio kicked off their Sudamericana campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Montevideo City Torque in Montevideo on April 9, five days before bouncing back in a 1-0 home win over Deportivo Riestra.

While the Brazilian outfit have clinched the Copa Libertadores crown on three occasions, they are still chasing a first triumph in the Copa Sudamericana, which remains the only major continental honour still missing from their cabinet.

Like Palestino, Gremio have struggled to impose themselves back home, picking up four wins and losing five of their 13 Brasileirao matches so far to collect 16 points and sit 11th in the league standings.

However, Luis Castro’s men make the trip to the Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna in fine form, having picked up three wins and one draw from their most recent five matches — a run that underlines their status as favourites against an out-of-sorts Palestino.

Gremio head into Wednesday’s matchup fresh off the back of the ending run of five consecutive league games without a win at the weekend, when they secured a 1-0 victory over Coritiba, with 18-year-old Gabriel Mec netting his first professional goal to hand the hosts all three points.

With Montevideo City Torque leading Group F with six points from a possible six, victory in Chile becomes even more crucial for second-placed Gremio who will be aiming to avoid the playoffs and secure automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Palestino Copa Sudamericana form:

Palestino form (all competitions):

Gremio Copa Sudamericana form:

Gremio form (all competitions):

Team News

Palestino head into Wednesday’s tie with a clean bill of health, giving Munoz a full-strength squad to select from, and we expect the 42-year-old to field a similar lineup to the one that faced Colo-Colo in the Chilean league a fortnight ago.

Martin Araya and Ronnie Fernandez should form the two-man attack for the Tricolor, while we expect a back four of Enzo Roco, Vicente Espinoza, Nicolas Alonso and Jason Leon shielding Sebastian Perez between the sticks.

Gremio, meanwhile, will be without several players down the spine of the team, with left-back Marlon sidelined with an ankle fracture, while Willian has been ruled out till mid May through a muscle injury.

Joao Pedro and Mathias Villasanti have also been ruled out through injuries, but the visitors will be boosted by the return of defender Gustavo Martins, who is available after serving a suspension in the league.

Palestino possible starting lineup:

Perez; Roco, Espinoza, Alonso, Leon; Gargues, Gallegos, Montes, Munder; Araya, Fernandez

Gremio possible starting lineup:

Weverton; Rocha, Martins, Viery, Paulista; Perez, Mec, Monsalve, Tete; Braithwaite, Vinicius

We say: Palestino 0-1 Gremio

While Gremio head into the game as the more in-form side, they find themselves also under pressure, having secured just one win from their two group games so far. With Palestino’s last five games producing fewer than three goals, another cagey contest is on the cards, but we fancy Gremio to come out on top, with Carlos Vinicius most likely to make a decisive impact.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.