One of the most interesting matches of this round of the Brasileirao is the heated Fortaleza derby between Fortaleza and its historic rival, Ceará. The home team is undoubtedly in the worst shape, coming off seven defeats and currently third from bottom in the standings, in the relegation zone. Fortaleza fans were hoping that the month-long break would have given Juan Pablo Vojvoda’s men time to regroup and, above all, to rebuild their confidence ahead of a series of very delicate matches.
Hopes were in vain, as Leao suffered yet another defeat during the week, crashing out of the Copa do Nordeste against Bahia (2-1). It’s raining on wet ground, in short, at Tricolor: the new signings (Matheus Pereira, Herrera, and Adam Bareiro), who arrived during this transfer window, have not yet had a chance to make an impact, and the Argentine coach, who has been confirmed despite the very difficult moment, hopes that, starting with the derby, the new faces can help Fortaleza turn things around.
The situation at Ceará is much less chaotic: the Bianconeri are only four points ahead of their city rivals but have been revived by two consecutive wins in the Copa do Nordeste, against Sampaio Correa at the beginning of June and against Sport this week, who were defeated on penalties. Leo Condé’s team played their last Brasileirao match a month ago, losing narrowly to reigning champions Botafogo (3-2).
Odds comparison
The “Under 2.5” bet is priced at 1.52 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.55 on Snai.
The “X2” sign is quoted at 1.53 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.55 on Snai.
The prediction
The two Fortaleza clubs have only met eight times in the Brasileirao since 2001: the balance is heavily in favor of Ceará (six wins to Fortaleza’s two). A derby is always a derby, but the chances of the Bianconeri coming away with at least a point from their rivals’ home ground seem very high.
The total number of goals should be less than three.
FORTALEZA (4-3-3): Joao Ricardo; Tinga, Kuscevic, Mancha, Mancuso; Pochettino, Zé Welison, Emmanuel Martinez; Marinho, Deyverson, Lucca Prior.
CEARÁ (4-2-3-1): Miguel; Fabiano Souza, Marllon, Machado, Nicolas; Sobral, Dieguinho; Galeano, Mugni, Pedro Henrique; Pedro Raul.