Cruzeiro and Corinthians meet at Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto, in a match for the 34th round of Serie A. In the last direct match for this edition of the league, on 26-07-2018, Corinthians won at home by (2 -0). The history of direct confrontations played in this stadium is favorable to the home team, which in the last 5 matches won 3, drew 1 and lost 1. Indeed, the last time these two teams played a game in this stadium, in 11 -10-2018, for the Copa do Brasil, Cruzeiro won by (1-0). Thiago Neves (45 ‘) scored the only goal of the game. Corinthians presents considerable differences in their results at home and as visitors, so in this game the home factor may be decisive.
Cruzeiro:
The home team is currently in the 9 th position of the league, with 46 points won, after 12 wins, 10 draws and 11 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in an away match against América Mineiro, by (1-2). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Atlético PR, by (2-0). This is a team that usually maintains its competitive level in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 4 draws and 6 losses in away matches; against 6 victories, 5 draws and 4 defeats in his stadium. For the championship, Cruzeiro won 18 points out of 30 possible, after 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses in the last 10 matches played at their stadium. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (7 out of 16 matches). Defensive consistency has not been their best feature, as they have conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 33 matches in the competition, they suffered the first goal 18 times and only managed 3 comebacks. In the last 16 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 5 of their 12 goals between minutes (16’-30 ‘).
The Cruzeiro reaches this final part without great pretensions, since it has already conquered the qualification for the next Copa Libertadores through the title of the Brazilian Cup and is calm for the last matches, so it has been acting far below what can do. The problem so far has been the inefficiency of its offensive sector, which despite presenting great quality, has encountered difficulties to balance the networks and is the fourth worst of the Serie A, with only 30 goals in 33 games. At home, the Cruzeiro is usually quite strong, won 3 of its last 4 games, but it should be noted that it did not score goals in 3 of the last 6 matches, being a team that finds great difficulties against teams that play more closed, as is the case of his next adversary. For the game against Corinthians, coach Mano Menezes will not be able to count on lateral Edilson, due to suspension.
Corinthians:
After 10 wins, 10 draws and 13 losses, the away team is currently in the 12 th position of the league, with 40 points won. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Botafogo, by (1-0). In the last match, they tied in a home match against São Paulo, by (1-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 2 wins, 3 draws and 10 losses in away matches; against 8 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses at their stadium. For the league, Corinthians won 5 points out of 30 possible points, after 1 win, 2 draws and 7 losses in the last 10 home matches.
For this competition, they have not won any of the last 8 away matches. In the matches played outside their stadium there are some more frequent results: at the end of the first 45 ‘0-0 (7 in 17 matches) and at the end of the match 1-0 (7 in 17 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 8 of the last 16 matches for this competition have ended with Under 1,5 goals. In 33 matches in this competition, they only got 2 comebacks in the 16 matches in which they suffered the first goal. In the last 16 home matches for this competition there are 2 periods that stand out: they have scored 6 of their 15 goals between minutes (76’-90 ‘); He suffered 7 of his 20 goals between the minutes (76’-90 ‘).
Corinthians is making a Serie A far below expectations, coming in a negative phase, with only 1 win in the last 8 games. Now he needs to be attentive, since he has only 5 points of advantage over the relegation zone, when there are still 15 points to play until the end. The team has as main problem the offensive sector, which scored only 33 goals, being the eighth worst attack of the national championship, while the defense has behaved in a reasonable manner, suffered 32 goals and is the eighth best, being a team that acts in a more defensive way, trying to leave few spaces, but this ends up diminishing its offensive strength. As a visitor, Corinthians comes in a terrible sequence of 6 losses and 2 draws and most worrying is that he did not score goals in 5 of these games, again showing the difficulty of his offensive system, especially away from home, where he usually plays even more closed. For the match against Cruzeiro, coach Jair Ventura will not be able to count on midfielder Araos, sent off on the last day.
PREDICTION: Cruzeiro to win @ 1.70
