Bahia vs Cruzeiro - prediction, team news, lineups

Bahia host Cruzeiro at the Arena Fonte Nova on Saturday, May 9, successful the 15th circular of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, with the location broadside looking to physique connected a beardown tally that has kept them comfortably wrong the apical ten. The Tricolor volition purpose to marque the astir of location vantage arsenic they question to fortify their presumption successful the precocious fractional of the table.

Cruzeiro, by contrast, are attempting to propulsion wide of the bottommost fractional and get successful request of a response. The Raposa presumption the travel to Salvador arsenic an important accidental to unafraid a affirmative effect and summation immoderate breathing abstraction successful the nationalist campaign.

Match preview

Sixth-placed Bahia spell into the fixture with 22 points from 13 games — six wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats — and stay wrong the Copa Libertadores qualification places for 2027. However, they get nether unit aft a tally of 4 games without a win.

That hard spell began with a 2-0 decision to Flamengo, was compounded by a 3-1 elimination astatine the hands of Remo successful the Copa bash Brasil, and continued with successive 2-2 draws against Santos and São Paulo. In the latter, played astatine the Morumbis, the broadside fell down doubly earlier snatching a constituent successful the 2nd fractional — a show of resilience they volition request to reproduce successful beforehand of their ain supporters.

The alarm bells are ringing successful defence: 9 goals conceded crossed the past 4 matches person taken the tally to 33 successful 27 games this season, the second-worst antiaircraft mean of the Rogério Ceni epoch astatine the club. Even so, their extremity quality successful the Brasileirão remains affirmative (+3), and the Tricolor benefited from a afloat week of grooming astatine the CT Evaristo de Macedo — an vantage implicit rivals whose energies person been divided by continental competition.

The Fonte Nova is cardinal to their plan: successful location fixtures against Cruzeiro, Bahia person won 12, mislaid 10 and drawn six from 28 meetings — a uncommon equilibrium successful a head-to-head that the Raposa person mostly dominated overall. With the relegation portion good retired of scope and the apical 4 conscionable 2 points away, a triumph would thrust the Tricolor backmost into the contention for continental qualification and easiness the unit connected their manager.

Cruzeiro, meanwhile, get successful Salvador successful a precarious position: 15th successful the array with 16 points from 14 games (four wins, 4 draws and six defeats), a extremity quality of -6 and conscionable 1 constituent much than Corinthians, the archetypal broadside wrong the relegation zone. A 1-3 decision to Atlético-MG successful the Mineiro derby ended a tally of 3 consecutive Brasileirão victories.

The Raposa did, however, nutrient an important effect past Wednesday erstwhile they held Universidad Católica to a goalless gully successful Chile successful the Copa Libertadores, contempt playing much than 45 minutes with 10 men. The effect keeps the nine live successful the contention for the past 16 and restored assurance up of the Salvador assignment, though the carnal toll of the travel is unavoidable.

Artur Jorge indispensable reorganise his broadside successful airy of important absentees astatine left-back and successful attack, which volition apt unit him to improvise successful definite areas. The Portuguese manager, who took complaint astatine the commencement of the season, favours compact antiaircraft blocks and speedy transitions — the attack that underpinned the caller three-game winning tally earlier the Mineirão setback.

The unit falls squarely connected the visitors: collecting points connected the roadworthy has go a necessity to unfastened up a spread supra the relegation portion up of a congested May docket that inactive features Palmeiras, Boca Juniors and Chapecoense.

The wide head-to-head grounds favours Cruzeiro (33 wins, 14 draws and 14 defeats from 61 meetings), but the comparative equilibrium astatine the Fonte Nova and the gulf successful extremity quality betwixt the 2 sides (+3 against -6) suggest that past unsocial volition not beryllium capable to warrant an contiguous betterment connected Saturday.

Bahia Brasileiro form:

W LW L D D 

Bahia signifier (all competitions):

L W L L D D

Cruzeiro Brasileiro form:

W L W W W L

Cruzeiro signifier (all competitions):

W D W W L D

Team News

Alongside their in-form challenges, Bahia caput into the fixture with notable absentees crossed 3 areas of the squad. First-choice goalkeeper Ronaldo has been sidelined since March pursuing a dislocation of his close elbow and is not expected to instrumentality until aft the World Cup.

Midfielder Caio Alexandre, nursing a thigh musculus injury, and guardant Ruan Pablo, moving his mode backmost from an ankle problem, implicit the database of players successful the attraction room.

With nary midweek fixture to contend with, the Tricolor had the full week to bid astatine the CT Evaristo de Macedo — a origin that should assistance Rogerio Ceni fine-tune his broadside arsenic they question to extremity their four-game winless run. Leo Vieira continues arsenic first-choice goalkeeper, portion the attacking portion led by Willian Jose and Everton Ribeiro has kept the nine successful sixth spot successful the Brasileirao.

Cruzeiro look much important enactment headaches. Artur Jorge is without left-back Kaiki and guardant Keny Arroyo, some suspended pursuing reddish cards successful the derby against Atletico-MG.

The concern is further analyzable by the information that Kaua Prates, Kaiki's earthy replacement, is besides injured, leaving the manager to improvise successful the antiaircraft department.

Despite the absentees, the Raposa get with momentum from caller performances. Kaio Jorge, the club's apical scorer this play with 9 goals, remains their superior attacking menace arsenic Cruzeiro look to determination distant from 15th place.

Bahia imaginable starting lineup:

Leo; Nicolas Acevedo, David Duarte, Santiago Mingo, Luciano Juba; Erick, Jean Lucas, Everton Ribeiro; Kike Olivera, Erick Pulga, Willian Jose. Manager: Rogerio Ceni.

Cruzeiro imaginable starting lineup:

Otavio; Fagner, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan Jesus and Kaua Moraes; Gerson, Lucas Romero, Christian, Matheus Pereira; Wanderson, Kaio Jorge. Manager: Artur Jorge.

We say: Bahia 2-2 Cruzeiro

Both sides caput into the contention with akin attacking profiles, portion their respective defences person shown vulnerability against opponents susceptible of generating a precocious measurement of chances. That operation points towards an unfastened encounter, with speedy transitions and opportunities astatine some ends alternatively than a cagey, low-scoring affair.

The value of the fixture should lone reenforce that approach, with neither squad successful a presumption to settee for thing little than 3 points. As a result, an expansive contention appears likely, and a 2-2 gully would bespeak the equilibrium betwixt 2 sides with comparable tactical intent and capable attacking prime to find the net.

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