Palmeiras vs Bahia Prediction: Palmeiras is confident again

A perfect display from Palmeiras against rival São Paulo ended with a crushing 5-0 victory for the Brazilian champions in the classic. It was the Verdão's second win in a row after a dreadful run of four straight losses in the Série A. Confidence seems to be returning to Abel Ferreira's team. Palmeiras made the most of the RB Bragantino and Flamengo defeats, moving closer to the second-placed team and up to third place in the table.

Two goals from Breno Lopes at 16' and 27' launched the team to an easier victory than expected. Defenders Piquerez (two goals) and Marcos Rocha scored the other goals in the historic win. In this upcoming meeting with Bahia, only victory matters for the Paulistas, who are again fighting for the top spots in the league. Palmeiras is nine points behind Botafogo and still holds a chance of winning the title if the Cariocas succumb to the pressure.

The Tricolor lost again after three wins when the team was climbing to a slightly more comfortable position in the standings. The 3-0 defeat in Belo Horizonte against Cruzeiro was probably not in the plans of Rogério Ceni and his players, as the home team had never won at the Mineirão in this Brasileirão. Despite losing positions to Corinthians and its opponent for the round, Cruzeiro, Bahia maintained the four-point gap to the teams in the relegation zone as they all were defeated. Visiting the Allianz Parque with Palmeiras motivated won't be easy. On top of that, the Paulistas will want to rectify the result of their Round 11 match in Salvador, where they lost for the first time in the Série A.

Palmeiras is the clear favorite and has everything it needs to win its third in a row. The team seems to have finally overcome the depression following the Copa Libertadores elimination. After the heavy defeat against Cruzeiro, Bahia may be less confident at the Allianz Parque. A draw would be an excellent result for the Baianos. I will bet on Palmeiras winning, a likely outcome if the players maintain the same spirit as in the last two games. I'll add to the bet a minimum of two goals scored in the game to raise the odds.