Cuiaba v Ceará
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Saturday 18th June – 11:00PM KO
The out-of-form Cuiaba host, an inform Ceará this weekend at the 2014 World Cup venue, Arena Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso. The match kicks off game week 13 of the Brazilian Serie A.
Cuiaba come into this game in poor form and manager António Oliveira has a tough task on his hands to turn their fortunes around. So far, Oliveira has taken charge of two matches and is yet to win with a loss and a draw. Last time out, they took on a struggling Flamengo side away from home and suffered a 2-0 loss. After an early goal from Ayrton, Cuiaba tried for as long as possible to stay in the game in the hope of nicking a goal on the break, but all hope was lost when a Gabi goal, ensure the three points for the Rubro Negro. Cuiaba had an XG of just 0.29 compared to Flamengo’s 3.02. Not only did they not offer much going forward, but they also allowed plenty of goalscoring chances, which Ceará will be licking their lips at.
Despite Dorival Junior leaving the club for Flamengo, Ceará have shown no signs of letting it hinder them. They are currently unbeaten in their last eleven matches in all competitions. Last time out, they put in a decent performance to earn a 0-0 draw at home to champions Atletico Mineiro, in what was Marquinhos Santos’ first game in charge of the North-eastern club. The expected goals between the sides were relatively close with Ceara’s at 0.91 compared to Galo’s 1.04. Santos’ side had more chances in the game and enjoyed more of the ball, something which wasn’t expected prior to the match.
The downside for Vozão was that pacey attacker, Jhon Steven Mendoza went off injured in the first half and is a doubt to play in this match. With Cuiaba struggling in recent weeks and Ceara on a long unbeaten run, the away side will feel confident about earning a positive result here. They come into this game knowing that, in the three matches they have played against Cuiaba, they are yet to lose with two wins and a draw.
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Prediction: Ceara Double Chance, 1.40 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Santos v Red Bull Bragantino
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Sunday 19th June – 1:00AM KO
Santos take on Bragantino at the Estádio Urbano Caldeira in an inner-state battle. Although there’s not much of a fierce rivalry between the sides, both will be eager to pick up the win, as they both sit on the same number of points with the same record of four wins, five draws and three defeats.
After a decent start to their league campaign, Santos had gone off the boil in recent weeks. They went on a spell of six matches without a victory, which saw them draw five games in that period. Last time out, Peixe managed to return to winning ways thanks to goals from Eduardo Bauermann and Marcos Leonardo, in a 2-1 away victory over Juventude. Santos put up a better XG than their opponent for the third game in a row with an XG of 1.64 compared to Juve’s 0.49. Despite the slight blip, they will feel confident coming into this battle.
Bragantino sit a place below Santos after conceding two more goals than their opponent. They are, however, unbeaten in their last two games with two wins and a draw. In midweek, they enjoyed an impressive 4-2 victory at home to Coritiba. After three matches losing out to their opponents on XG, Bragantino finally got the better of their opposition with an XG of 2.62 compared to Coritiba’s 1.07. They come into this game on the back of a decent run and will be hoping to leapfrog Santos here with a victory.
With both Santos and Bragantino playing attack-minded football, it could lead to an exciting game. The Red-Bull club always provide a threat going forward but are leaky at the back, which Santos will be aware of. Four of the last five meetings between these sides have ended up in a score draw, something which could be on the cards here.
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Prediction: Over 1.5 Goals, 1.40 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Coritiba v Athletico Paranaense
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Sunday 19th June – 8:00PM KO
The two biggest sides in the state of Paraná lock horns this weekend as Coritiba host rivals Athletico Paranaense, in a game known as the Athletiba.
Coritiba have been in poor form of late and are winless in their last four matches, with two losses and two draws. With this, comes pressure on Paraguayan manager Gustavo Morínigo. He will be hoping to turn around their fortunes in the coming matches or else, he could be shown the door, which would not be a surprise given the ruthlessness of Brazilian club owners.
Victory against your biggest rivals is the perfect opportunity to get the fans, players and board members back on-site, which Morínigo will be eager to do, but they must perform levels above what they have shown in recent matches.
On Wednesday, they took on Red-Bull Bragantino away from home and suffered a 4-2 defeat. A poor first half saw Bragantino race into a three-goal lead. The XG in the game for Coritiba was at 1.07, which was below Brigantino’s 2.62. The common theme over the last four games has been Coritiba losing on the XG method, which gives reasoning for their recent dip in form.
It’s a complete contrast on the other side of town as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men are loving life at the moment. They are unbeaten in their last eight matches.
Big Phil and Athletico seem to be a perfect match. Last season, Scolari had a disappointing time at Gremio as he failed to guide them away from the relegation zone and was given his marching orders. At Athletico, in ten matches, he has six wins from ten matches as they sit in fifth place. On Wednesday, Athletico drew 1-1 with Corinthians, in what they will see as a missed opportunity after putting up an XG of 1.61 compared to their opponents’ 1.30.
Athletico are out to earn revenge here after their 2-1 (Aggregate) State Championship Semi-Final loss to Coritiba, back in March 2022.
With any derby (Classico) match, picking a winner can be difficult as the form guide tends to go out of the window. With Coritiba trying to build their form and Athletico being relatively cautious in approach, it will be likely that the game is a cagey affair with limited chances, which should lead to a low-scoring affair.
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Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals, 1.60 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Atlético Mineiro v Flamengo
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Sunday 19th June – 8:00PM KO
Atlético Mineiro take on Flamengo in what is one of the biggest matches in the Brazilian Serie A this weekend. With both teams being the most recent league champions, they will be aiming to get the upper hand on one another.
Flamengo finally returned to winning ways last time out after suffering three defeats in a row. Goals from Aryton and Gabi were enough to see the Rubro Negro pick up an important three points and their first since the hiring of Dorival Junior last week.
Junior and his players know that this is just the start to turning their form around. With important Libertadores fixtures coming up, they will be hoping to build some momentum. Their XG of 3.02 against Cuiaba, was Flamengo’s highest of the season and their defence was also impressive too, as Cuiaba only managed an XG of 0.29, which is the lowest XG of the campaign against Flamengo, which will give their fans a much-needed confidence boost.
Antonio Mohamed will be certainly feeling the pressure after Atletico Mineiro have failed to win any of their previous four matches, with three draws and a loss. He knows that if results don’t start to improve quickly, he could be given the boot. Last time out, they drew 0-0 away from home against Ceará. Although Galo will be happy at keeping their first clean sheet in two games, they will be disappointed that they couldn’t pick up the three points. Atletico slightly edged the expected goals statistics with an XG of 1.04 compared to Ceara’s 0.91
.The good news for Galo is that the midfield duo, Jair, and Allan can return here after missing the match against Ceara due to suspension. The teams met in the Supercopa do Brasil back in February 2022. The match was a classic affair, a 2-2 end-to-end thriller before Galo ran out victorious on penalties at the Arena Pantanal. With both Flamengo and Atletico wanting to play attacking football, a similar match could be on the cards here, meaning that both sides are likely to score.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score, 1.73 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
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