Palmeiras travel to Quito seeking a Libertadores semifinal spot against LDU

Match context

On Wednesday, September 16, at 7 p.m. Brasília time, LDU and Palmeiras will meet at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium (known as "Casa Blanca") in Quito for the second leg of the 2026 Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. Palmeiras won the first leg at home 1-0, so any draw is enough for the Brazilian side to reach the semifinals. LDU needs a one-goal win to send the tie to penalties, or a win by two goals or more to advance outright in regulation time.

LDU hopes to repeat last year's triumph

The Ecuadorian side is a dangerous opponent at home — according to Terra, LDU has lost only six of 33 matches against Brazilian teams at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado, and beat Palmeiras 3-0 at this very venue in last year's Libertadores semifinal. Altitude may also work in the hosts' favor, with the stadium sitting at 2,850 meters above sea level. LDU currently sits fifth in the Ecuadorian league with 46 points from 30 games and rested most starters in its last outing, a 1-1 draw with Deportivo Cuenca, ahead of the clash with Palmeiras. Michael Estrada leads the attack, having scored 11 goals in 31 matches before the first leg against Palmeiras.

Palmeiras without captain Gustavo Gómez

Coach Abel Ferreira must do without defender and captain Gustavo Gómez, who picked up his third yellow card of the competition and is serving an automatic one-match suspension; as reported by Sportingnews, each yellow card in the quarterfinals also costs clubs a $500 fine to Conmebol. Ferreira opted for a back three for the match — according to lineup confirmation from UOL, the starting XI was Carlos Miguel; Giay, Murilo, Bruno Fuchs, Barboza and Piquerez; Lucas Evangelista, Marlon Freitas and Andreas Pereira; Jhon Arias and Flaco López, while Vitor Roque, listed as a possible starter in ge's projected lineup, was left on the bench. Andreas Pereira returned after serving a two-match ban, and Piquerez overcame an ankle knock to play. Palmeiras is unbeaten in eight straight games, including wins over LDU (1-0) and city rival São Paulo (2-0), and sits second in the Brazilian league with 56 points, one behind leaders Flamengo. Flaco López is the club's top scorer this season with 21 goals.

Broadcast and officiating

Sources disagree on the broadcast: ge reports the match will air on Paramount+, while Terra says it will be shown on Disney+ and pay-TV channel ESPN. The match will be officiated by Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán, assisted by Alexander Guzmán and Jhon Gallego, with David Rodríguez serving as VAR.