Sao Paulo vs Atletico Nacional Prediction and Betting Tips

Sao Paulo will host Atletico Nacional at the Estadio Cicero Pompeu de Toledo on Tuesday in the second leg of their 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores last-16 tie. The home side are enjoying a strong run of form in league action at the moment, most recently coming back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Sport Recife. They will be looking to carry that momentum onto the continental stage this week.

They held on for a goalless draw in their first-leg clash in Colombia last week and have the chance to secure a spot in the quarterfinals with a win in front of their home fans on Tuesday.

Atletico Nacional have also enjoyed a positive start to their domestic season and, like their hosts, played out a 2-2 draw in their most recent outing.

The visitors, however, have work to do when they return to continental action this week after failing to capitalize on their home advantage in the first leg. They were quite comfortably the better side last Tuesday and fully deserved to win, but were guilty of wasteful finishing, particularly from Edwin Cardona, who squandered two penalty kicks.

Sao Paulo vs Atletico Nacional Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

There have been 13 meetings between Sao Paulo and Atletico Nacional. The hosts have won five of those games while the visitors have won one fewer, with their other four contests ending in draws.
The visitors have lost just one of their last six games in this fixture.
The hosts have failed to score any goals in four of their last six games in this fixture.
Sao Paulo are three-time winners of the Copa Libertadores and have finished runners-up on another three occasions. Nacional, meanwhile, have won the competition twice and have finished runners-up once.

Sao Paulo vs Atletico Nacional Prediction

Tricolor Paulista are on a three-game unbeaten streak and have lost just one of their last 10 games across all competitions. They have been defensively sound on the continental stage this year and will rely heavily on that on Thursday as they look to advance in the tournament.

Los Verdolagas will also head into the midweek clash in fine form as they are undefeated in their last seven games. Their failure to pick up a result in the first leg could, however, cost them on Tuesday.

Prediction: Sao Paulo 1-0 Atletico Nacional

Sao Paulo vs Atletico Nacional Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Sao Paulo to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Five of the last six matches between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of their last six matchups)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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