Flamengo vs Cruzeiro Prediction: The Scarlet-Black wants to stay on the top of the league

Flamengo hosts Cruzeiro in a game with a long history in Brazilian football. The two teams have met 81 times, and the club from Rio has a slight advantage with 31 wins against 28. The Cariocas lead the Série A with 24 points, while the Miners are in fifth place with 20 points but with one game in hand. Cruzeiro has won the Brazilian championship four times, most recently in 2014, but the performance of the Belo Horizonte side, which doesn't have any big stars in its squad, is surprising.

Finally, after a seven-game unbeaten streak in the Brasileirão, Flamengo was defeated. One day, Tite's team had to lose a game, but few expected it to be against Juventude. Pedro opened the scoring in the 19th minute with his chest, but the Caxias do Sul side turned the game around to make it 2-1 near the end. Flamengo didn't play badly, but the Gaúchos showed extraordinary willpower and imposed themselves physically with a direct style of play. The Cariocas failed to defend from set pieces and struggled to clear crosses into their area. Flamengo could still have drawn, but Juventude's goalkeeper saved his team. The Mengão now has to share the lead with Bahia and is obliged to beat Cruzeiro.

The Fox preserved a 100% winning record at the Mineirão by beating Athletico-PR 2-0. Cruzeiro has won 15 of its 20 league points at home. Coach Fernando Seabra has built a team solid in defense with a pragmatic mindset in its attacking moves. Matheus Pereira is the creative man of Cruzeiro, while Lucas Silva is the leader. The Miners have only won once on the road, but their confidence is high ahead of the demanding game at the Maracanã.

Flamengo is the favorite for this match, not only due to having a superior squad but also because a great team usually reacts strongly to a defeat. The demands of a club of this magnitude force the players to do their utmost to beat Cruzeiro after the negative result against Juventude. The Mengão is in first place, so the team has to focus on beating the Miners and less on the defeat in Caxias do Sul. I'm therefore going to bet on the Cariocas winning.