Athletico-PR vs Cruzeiro Prediction: Athletico will try to reach the G4

Athletico Paranaense has a great opportunity to reach the group of the first four teams, the G4, as the Brazilians call it. The Furacão is fifth, just two points behind Flamengo and Palmeiras. A 2-0 away win against Vasco da Gama in the last round ended a run of poor away results and put the team in a prominent place in the league. Athletico is strong at home and, in front of their home crowd, will give everything to get the three points and reach even higher in the Brasileirão. Cruzeiro again lost at home in the last game, continuing to show that it is an odd team. Away, the Fox is the third-best team with only one defeat. On the other hand, at home, the Miners have more losses than victories.

In Arturo Vidal's debut as a starter, Athletico finally won again outside Curitiba. The victory was historic because Athletico had never won at the São Januário, Vasco da Gama's stadium. Vasco is indeed a serious candidate for relegation, but it is still an important result. Star striker Vítor Roque was in the spotlight once again. Although he did not score, the young striker was the origin of his team's two goals. With two consecutive victories, the Furacão will try to get a third in a row against Cruzeiro, even though they are a complicated opponent when playing away from home, with a difficult defense to overcome. Athletico will have to be very patient in this game.

Pepa, one of seven Portuguese coaches in the Brasileirão, has assembled a team strong defensively but with some offensive shortcomings, most evident when playing at home. The Fox seems to have two faces, fearful when playing at home and cunning in away games. In this league, Cruzeiro has scored 16 goals and conceded only 12 goals, making their defense the second-best in the Brasileirão. Oddly, just 4 goals of the 16 were scored at home. In its last match, the team again disappointed their fans by losing 1-0 at home to Goiás. Cruzeiro's goal scarcity was impressive in the last six matches, with only two goals scored, and two goals conceded. At the Arena da Baixada, a solid defensive block is likely once again while always lurking on the counterattack.

I will bet on a game with few goals. That's what has been happening almost every time in Cruzeiro's matches. The team has a cautious stance and doesn't concede much space to their opponents. Athletico-PR will need the speed and creativity of the prodigy Vitor Roque to unbalance the Mineiros' defense.