Cruzeiro hosts Fluminense in the second leg of Copa do Brasil 1/8 finals. The match will be played on Thursday, June 6th at Mineirão (Belo Horizonte)
Two troubled clubs will meet at Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, in the home field of Cruzeiro. The rule of away goal does not work in the Brazilian Cup. Cruzeiro did not lose to Fluminense (1:1) in the first match, but in order to qualify for the quarterfinals, it only needs a victory. What should we expect in the return match?
Cruzeiro is involved in a huge administrative crisis with accusations of misuse of the club’s resources by the management to pay officials. The club is under investigation. This fact is hardly related to the results of the team directly, but it should not be ignored, especially in light of the terrible start of the team in Brasileiro. And this does not fit in with the 1st place in the Copa Libertadores group. Cruzeiro scored only 7 points in the championship (2-1-4). The problem is not in the 15th current line, but in 14 goals conceded. These are the fixtures of the second worst defense in Serie A. And it is surprisingly.
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The cup matches have always been the priority of Menezes’s team; there Raposa earned money. A 1:1 score in Rio could turn into a familiar and pragmatic victory of Cruzeiro, but the hosts won back in the 94th minute. Interestingly, Fluminense hammered Raposa in the next match, which was played in Rio again but in the framework of Serie A (4:1). Then Cruzeiro lost to Chapecoense (1:2), and this became extreme. It was good that Menezes managed to rectify the situation and brought a 1:1 draw from the last trip to Sao Paulo. Now he expects to take revenge on Fluminense, which is also experiencing obvious problems.
In Serie A, Fluminense is located below Cruzeiro, right before the relegation zone. If Raposa has conceded 14 goals, then Fluminense allowed 15. The worst defense of Brasileiro concedes steadily. The notorious comeback in the away game with Gremio (4:5) happened just because of a play of chance and serious squad losses of the opponent. Fluminense lost all other way matches of Serie A.
In the last voyage to Baixada, Diniz saved the strength of lateral Gilberto, winger Luciano and midfielder Ganso. Alas, center back Ferraz picked an injury in Curitiba. The coach should think about the correct distribution of forces, because the team cannot lose the next match of Serie A. Fluminense is to play a famous derby against Flamengo. I do not know what the priority of Flu will be, but I predict the visitors ’emphasis on defense reliability. Moreover, the scorer Pedro was sent from the youth team to the Toulon Tournament.
Signs of recovery shown by Cruzeiro in the match against Sao Paulo and the fall of Fluminense highlight the hosts as favorites. Therefore, I assume that the return match will take place according to the scenario of Menezes. We should wait for goals but after the 28th minute. Cruzeiro scored an early goal only in one of ten matches. Having gained the last home victories, Cruzeiro broke the defense of Goias in the 49th minute, of Ceara - in the 50th.
Prediction for the match: First goal to be scored from the 29th to the 90th minute
