Corinthians, led by former Brazil national team coach Dorival Jr, had drawn three games in a row in the Brasileirao before the month-long break for the Club World Cup – four clubs were involved in the international tournament, but Timao was not among them – with a 0-0 draw against Atletico Mineiro and Vitoria and a 1-1 draw with Gremio.
These results, while extending the club’s unbeaten run in the league to four games, did not allow the São Paulo club to make any significant progress in the standings. Corinthians are only tenth, more or less equidistant from sixth place and the relegation zone. The picture becomes even bleaker if we add the disappointing Copa Sudamericana campaign, in which the Bianconeri failed to qualify for the knockout stages, finishing behind Huracan and America in their group.
Whether the break has been useful in overcoming the most pressing problems will only be known after the home game against Bragantino, currently third in the tournament. Fernando Seabra’s men are only one point behind leaders Flamengo, despite having played one game more than Mengao. However, Toro’s recent form has not been particularly consistent either: after two wins against Juventude and Vasco da Gama in their last outing before the break, the red and whites were outclassed by Bahia (0-3) in front of their home crowd in a match marred by Hurtado’s sending off in the first half.
Odds comparison
The “Under 2.5” result is priced at 1.53 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.55 on Snai. The “1X” result is priced at 1.23 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and at 1.22 on Snai.
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The prediction
Corinthians have always avoided defeat against Bragantino in their last four meetings, including a 2-1 win last January in the Paulista championship. Despite their inconsistent form, Dorival Jr.’s side are very solid at home, where they have conceded just five goals in six games and lost only once. We therefore expect a positive result for Corinthians, who are likely to keep Bragantino’s attack at bay in a game with fewer than three goals in total, something that has happened in the last seven games involving the Bianconeri.
Probable line-ups for Corinthians-RB Bragantino
CORINTHIANS (4-4-2): Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, Felix Torres, Cacà, Angileri; Ryan, Maycon, José Martinez, Garro; Magno, Hector Hernandez.
RB BRAGANTINO (4-3-3): Cleiton; Nathan Mendes, Pedro Henrique, Guzman Rodriguez, Guilherme Lopez; Gabriel, Eric Ramires, Jhon Jhon; Barbosa, Sasha, Vinicinho.