On Thursday, 20 June, as part of the 10th round of the Brazilian Serie A, "Fortaleza" will host "Gremio" at their home ground. The hosts are positioned 12th in the league table with 10 points, while the visitors surprisingly find themselves in the relegation zone, albeit having played one match fewer.
The match will take place in Fortaleza at the Castelao stadium.
Finishing each of the last three seasons in the top half of the table, "Fortaleza" has once again started the campaign admirably, currently trailing "RB Bragantino" by just five points in 12th place. Having gone unbeaten in the first six rounds, the hosts are eager to end a run of two consecutive defeats in their last two matches. The first of these setbacks was a 1-0 loss to "Bahia", but the 5-0 thumping by "Cuiaba" last weekend was rather more difficult to excuse. Juan Pablo Vojvoda's side played the entire second half with nine men, already trailing by three goals.
However, both losses occurred away from home, and the Tricolour eagerly anticipate returning to their fortress, where they remain unbeaten this season. Notably, "Fortaleza" has scored just one goal in their last three matches across all competitions; six goals in eight rounds is the worst record in the Brazilian Serie A to date (tied with Inter de Limeira and Gremio).
"Gremio" is facing serious challenges this season. After an impressive campaign last year, missing out on the championship by just two points, the club seems to be cursed. Following a flood in April, the Black and Blues were left without their home stadium and training base for an extended period and managed just two wins and five defeats in their first seven rounds. The latest of these setbacks came on Sunday evening when "Botafogo" triumphed 2-1.
Renato Gaucho's men have conceded two goals in each of their last three league matches, and their tally of six goals this season is the lowest among all Serie A teams (tied with Fortaleza and Internacional). As a result, "Gremio" finds itself entrenched in the relegation zone at 17th place, just one point adrift of "Corinthians" above them. Moreover, the visitors have failed to secure any points in three away league matches this season.
"Gremio" has failed to win any of their last seven matches against "Fortaleza", losing twice and drawing five times since June 2019.
This season is turning into a nightmare for "Gremio", who have been left without a home ground and several key players due to injuries and international tournaments. Meanwhile, "Fortaleza" remains unbeaten at home in the league and has a solid chance to compete for a spot in the Copa Sudamericana. The hosts are eager to make amends in front of their home crowd after two recent defeats, so I'm backing the Red and Blues to triumph on Thursday night.
Neither team can boast high-scoring records this season, with just six goals apiece at the start of the campaign. Confidently backing the overall total goals to be under 2.5.
Both teams are in desperate need of points, and are unlikely to sit back on their halves. Predicting the overall total corners to be over 9.5.
Both sides average around three yellow cards per match this season, so I'm wagering on the overall total bookings to be over 4.5.
My bet is on a 1-0 scoreline in favour of "Fortaleza".
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Botafogo | 33 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 52:26 | 68 | |
2 | Palmeiras | 33 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 54:27 | 64 | |
3 | Fortaleza | 33 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 47:32 | 63 | |
4 | Flamengo | 33 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 51:37 | 59 | |
5 | Internacional | 33 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 18 | 46:28 | 59 | |
6 | Sao Paulo | 33 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 47:34 | 57 | |
7 | Cruzeiro | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 38:35 | 47 | |
8 | Bahia | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 43:42 | 46 | |
9 | Vasco da Gama | 33 | 12 | 7 | 14 | -13 | 36:49 | 43 | |
10 | Atletico Mineiro | 32 | 10 | 12 | 10 | -4 | 42:46 | 42 | |
11 | Corinthians | 33 | 10 | 11 | 12 | -2 | 39:41 | 41 | |
12 | Gremio | 33 | 11 | 6 | 16 | -4 | 38:42 | 39 | |
13 | Vitoria | 33 | 11 | 5 | 17 | -10 | 38:48 | 38 | |
14 | Fluminense | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | -8 | 28:36 | 37 | |
15 | Criciuma | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | -9 | 39:48 | 37 | |
16 | Juventude | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | -12 | 40:52 | 37 | |
17 | RB Bragantino | 33 | 8 | 12 | 13 | -6 | 34:40 | 36 | |
18 | Athletico Paranaense | 32 | 9 | 7 | 16 | -7 | 34:41 | 34 | |
19 | Cuiaba | 33 | 6 | 11 | 16 | -16 | 25:41 | 29 | |
20 | Atletico Goianiense | 33 | 6 | 8 | 19 | -26 | 24:50 | 26 | |
1 | Fortaleza | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29:8 | 43 | |
2 | Palmeiras | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 33:12 | 38 | |
3 | Sao Paulo | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 28:14 | 38 | |
4 | Botafogo | 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 28:11 | 37 | |
5 | Internacional | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 26:13 | 35 | |
6 | Flamengo | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 25:17 | 34 | |
7 | Cruzeiro | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 27:13 | 34 | |
8 | Bahia | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 21:12 | 32 | |
9 | Vasco da Gama | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 25:21 | 31 | |
10 | Corinthians | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 29:16 | 29 | |
11 | Juventude | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 26:22 | 29 | |
12 | RB Bragantino | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20:16 | 26 | |
13 | Gremio | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 22:20 | 25 | |
14 | Atletico Mineiro | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 24:23 | 24 | |
15 | Fluminense | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 17:14 | 24 | |
16 | Vitoria | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 20:22 | 23 | |
17 | Criciuma | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 20:19 | 23 | |
18 | Athletico Paranaense | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 19:18 | 18 | |
19 | Atletico Goianiense | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 13:22 | 17 | |
20 | Cuiaba | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 13:17 | 14 | |
1 | Botafogo | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 24:15 | 31 | |
2 | Palmeiras | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 21:15 | 26 | |
3 | Flamengo | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 26:20 | 25 | |
4 | Internacional | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 20:15 | 24 | |
5 | Fortaleza | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 18:24 | 20 | |
6 | Sao Paulo | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 19:20 | 19 | |
7 | Atletico Mineiro | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 18:23 | 18 | |
8 | Athletico Paranaense | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 15:23 | 16 | |
9 | Vitoria | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 18:26 | 15 | |
10 | Cuiaba | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12:24 | 15 | |
11 | Bahia | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 22:30 | 14 | |
12 | Gremio | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 16:22 | 14 | |
13 | Criciuma | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 19:29 | 14 | |
14 | Cruzeiro | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 11:22 | 13 | |
15 | Fluminense | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 11:22 | 13 | |
16 | Vasco da Gama | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 11:28 | 12 | |
17 | Corinthians | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10:25 | 12 | |
18 | RB Bragantino | 17 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 14:24 | 10 | |
19 | Atletico Goianiense | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 11:28 | 9 | |
20 | Juventude | 16 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 14:30 | 8 |
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