América-MG vs Bahia Prediction: Bahia is desperately trying to escape relegation

A goal conceded in the 97th minute at home against São Paulo put Bahia in a dramatic situation. Defeat was not in the plans of the Baianos. Had they beaten the Tricolor Paulista, Bahia would have climbed out of the relegation zone and overtaken Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro. Against the already relegated América, the maths is very simple - only victory matters to Esporte Clube Bahia.

The Rabbit is at the bottom of the table and hasn't won in fifteen games. The Mineiros are currently on a run of four straight defeats, the most recent one against leader Palmeiras, 4-0. This will be the team's last home game this season. América will certainly want to say goodbye to its fans with a win. This desire could make Bahia's task very difficult.

The Squadron lost to São Paulo at the Arena Fonte Nova when it couldn't afford to lose. In fact, the Paulistas had yet to win on the road, so the result was very demoralizing for Bahia. Coach Rogério Ceni was sacked from São Paulo in Round 1 of the Brasileirão, and it could be this defeat to his former club that sends Bahia down to the Série B. The Baianos travel to Belo Horizonte in desperate need of a win if they have any hope of salvation when Bahia hosts a very strong Atlético Mineiro side in the final round. Bahia is currently in 17th place with 41 points. Still, Vasco da Gama, with 42, and Santos, with 43, have away games against Grêmio and Athletico-PR, respectively, so it's likely the Baianos, if they win, will go into the final round depending on themselves.

Despite being under a lot of pressure, Bahia is the favorite for this encounter. América hasn't won in 15 games, but that doesn't stop them from winning this one, as the Mineiros will want to say goodbye to their fans with a win in their last home match. As I said, the Baianos are favorites, but it could be very difficult to turn things around if they allow the home team to score first. I'm going to bet on both teams scoring; in principle, it will be an open game, and both teams will want to win.