Vitória vs Flamengo Prediction: Flamengo must win in Salvador

After two negative results, Flamengo won in the last round against Criciúma. Once again, the display was disappointing, but Tite's men secured the three points. Direct rivals Botafogo and Palmeiras also triumphed, so the Mengão remains in third place. Flamengo must beat Vitória in Salvador and hope their rivals slip up.

The Barra's Lion lost in Caxias do Sul against Grêmio and suffered its third consecutive defeat. Vitória is going through a rough moment, and the negative results pushed the team into the relegation zone. The defeat against Grêmio was against a direct competitor, so the impact of the result is worse. Thiago Carpini's side hosts Flamengo at the Barradão and will look to pick up a point at least. A good result against one of the strongest teams in the Brasileirão could reverse the pessimism that seems to be affecting the Baianos.

The Scarlet-Black beat Criciúma in Brasilia but went in at half-time 1-0 down. Pedro missed a penalty in the 64th minute, but in the 76th minute, the striker made amends and leveled the score. In the 89th minute, Gabriel Barbosa scored Flamengo's second goal from another penalty. The referee penalized the Criciúma player who kicked a second ball on the pitch against the ball that Everton Cebolinha was about to shoot. It was probably one of the most bizarre penalties in football history. The penalty saved the Cariocas, who managed to win a game in which they played poorly. 

Flamengo is the favorite, although it needs to improve on its last few games. Vitória isn't in the best form, but it's a tough team to beat at home. Recently, league leader Botafogo won 1-0 at the Barradão in a complicated game. The Baianos narrowly failed to draw that match. Flamengo must win and will go to Salvador with that objective in mind. The most likely outcome is a victory for the Cariocas, but I will use a Double Chance in favor of Flamengo with a maximum of three goals scored. As Tite's team hasn't been playing very well either, I'm keeping the possibility of a draw open.