Primera División Clausura - Round 4 Review 2026

The fourth round of the Peruvian Primera División Clausura brought a spectacle of attacking football, with 21 goals shared across nine encounters. While draws dominated the landscape — five matches ended all square — there was no shortage of drama, with FC Cajamarca delivering the statement result of the weekend in a commanding 4-2 victory over FBC Melgar that sent shockwaves through the Clausura standings.

The round opened with a bang as Comerciantes Unidos dismantled Cusco 3-1 on their own patch, demonstrating the growing ambition of the newly-promoted side. Deportivo Garcilaso continued their fine early-season form with a disciplined 2-0 home victory over UCV Moquegua, while Alianza Atletico claimed a precious three points against Cienciano. The stalemate between Juan Pablo II College and Atletico Grau represented the only goalless affair of the round, contrasting sharply with the goal-heavy action witnessed elsewhere.

Perhaps most intriguing was the pattern of results that suggested the gap between contenders and mid-table battlers remains fluid. Universitario's 1-1 draw with Sporting Cristal kept both giants within touching distance of the summit, though neither will be satisfied with a point apiece. With five draws from nine matches and an average of over two goals per game, Round 4 reinforced that the Clausura campaign remains anybody's tournament to win.

Clausura Round 4 Prediction Scorecard: A Mixed Return in Peru's Top Flight

The Clausura Round 4 predictions delivered a challenging evening for forecasters, with the 1X2 outright pick rate landing at a modest 33 percent, correct on just three of nine fixtures. The standout success came at Estadio Las Americas, where Alianza Atletico's narrow 1-0 victory over Cienciano was correctly anticipated. Deportivo Garcilaso also justified the pre-match favouritism with a controlled 2-0 home win against UCV Moquegua. Comerciantes Unidos provided a more emphatic result than forecast, storming to a 3-1 victory over Cusco to complete the trio of accurate outright calls.

Draws proved particularly elusive to pin down, contributing significantly to the overall miss rate. Four of the nine matches ended level — Sport Huancayo against Club Deportivo Los Chankas, Universitario versus Sporting Cristal, UTC Cajamarca drawing with ADT, and the goalless stalemate between Juan Pablo II College and Atletico Grau — yet none were forecast as draws under the 1X2 framework. Sport Boys against Alianza Lima added a further frustration, with the hosts' 1-1 draw against the visitors contradicting a predicted home win. Perhaps the most costly error came at Estadio Monuments de la Universidad San Marcos de Castilla, where FBC Melgar's surprise 2-4 home defeat to FC Cajamarca saw a home favourite prediction fail comprehensively.

On the Over/Under and Both Teams to Score markets, the accuracy was considerably stronger. The Over/Under strike rate reached 67 percent, with six of nine matches covering the selected threshold, while BTTS found the target in five of the nine games — a 56 percent hit rate. The Comerciantes Unidos 3-1 result and the FBC Melgar 4-2 defeat both contributed positively to the Over/Under tally, as did Sporting Cristal's 1-1 draw with Universitario. Across the round, 20 goals were scored in total, averaging over 2.2 per match, making the Over/Under gains understandable given the goal-heavy nature of several fixtures. The blend of solid goal-market performance and a tougher time with the three-way market suggests that while the round was low on outright certainty, opportunities existed for those navigating the supplementary markets effectively.

High-Scoring Upsets Dominate Clausura Round Four

The fourth round of the Clausura tournament delivered a string of surprising outcomes that defied several pre-match predictions across Peru's top flight. The weekend's action saw visiting teams particularly impressive, with away victories capturing headlines and leaving home supporters disappointed. The prediction accuracy for this round proved challenging for analysts, as two of the four fixtures produced results that contradicted the expected outcomes, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the Clausura phase.

The most explosive encounter of the round came from the Estadio Monumental, where FC Cajamarca travelled to face FBC Melgar and emerged with a commanding 4-2 victory. Despite pre-match predictions heavily favouring the home side at 73 percent, FBC Melgar crumbled under pressure and conceded four goals. The defeat marked a difficult afternoon for the home team, whose defensive frailties were ruthlessly exposed by a clinical Cajamarca side that converted their chances with efficiency. This result represents one of the round's major upsets and will raise serious concerns for FBC Melgar's campaign moving forward.

Elsewhere, Comerciantes Unidos claimed a convincing 3-1 home win over Cusco, a result that aligned with the pre-match favourite designation. Playing in front of their home crowd, Comerciantes Unidos demonstrated clinical attacking play to secure all three points. The comfortable margin of victory suggests the home side found their rhythm early and maintained control throughout the match, converting their superiority into a deserved three-goal buffer. This success at home provides Comerciantes Unidos with valuable momentum as the Clausura progresses.

Deportivo Garcilaso also enjoyed a successful home outing, defeating UCV Moquegua 2-0. Like Comerciantes Unidos, the outcome matched the pre-match expectations, with the home team justifying their favouritism through a solid all-round performance. The clean sheet combined with two goals scored indicates both defensive resilience and sufficient attacking quality. Meanwhile, Sport Boys and Alianza Lima played out a 1-1 draw at Estadio Miguel Grau, a result that contradicted the prediction favouring Alianza Lima. Both teams shared the points in an evenly contested match, leaving neither side fully satisfied despite avoiding defeat.

Tightening at the Summit After Round 4

Deportivo Garcilaso maintained their position at the top of the Clausura table following round four, but their lead has been reduced to a single point over second-placed Alianza Lima. The gap that once seemed comfortable has narrowed considerably, with Garcilaso collecting nine points from their opening four matches while the chasing pack continues to apply pressure from behind. The leader's record of three wins and one loss shows vulnerability, and with the season still in its early stages, that narrow advantage could disappear quickly.

The real story of the round lies in the congested middle section of the standings. Sport Huancayo, Sporting Cristal, Sport Boys, and FBC Melgar are all locked together on seven points, separated only by goal difference and results in head-to-head encounters. This four-team cluster sits just two points behind Garcilaso and one behind Alianza Lima, meaning any slip from the top two could see a significant reshuffle in the coming rounds. The density of teams within striking distance suggests the title race is far from decided.

Alianza Lima appear best positioned to challenge Garcilaso directly, with their unbeaten record of two wins and two draws keeping them within touching distance. Their two-point buffer over the four-team pack gives them some breathing room, though their upcoming fixtures will need to deliver positive results to maintain that gap. With so many clubs still in contention and barely a handful of points separating the top six, the Clausura is shaping up to be a tightly contested affair where consistency will prove the decisive factor.