Corinthians vs São Paulo Prediction: Anything can happen in the Clássico Majestoso

This classic of Brazilian and São Paulista football is always an intense meeting. In the 313 times they've faced each other, Corinthians has a slight advantage with 113 wins against 96 for São Paulo. The Majestic Classic has ended in a draw 104 times. In the Paulistão, the Timão won 68 and the Tricolor 60. In the remaining 60 games, the two sides drew. Although Corinthians has won more times in both the Brasileirão and Paulista, the truth is that its winning percentage is 36% compared to 31% for São Paulo. It's not a significant difference, and I don't think that will change shortly. The rivalry is huge, and anything can happen in any clash between these two teams.

It's not been a great start to the Campeonato Paulista for Corinthians, with one win and two defeats in three games. The latest defeat was particularly worrying as it came against a São Bernardo team that played with ten players from the 14th minute after Rodrigo Souza was sent off. In the 26th minute, Silvinho scored the match's only goal in a move in which the Timão defense was careless. Mano Menezes has a lot of work to do to improve his side. A bad result against a rival could begin to create some unrest among the fans and put pressure on the team. This classic is very important for Corinthians.

The Tricolor beat Portuguesa 1-0 at home and did its duty, although without great brilliance. The winning goal was scored by Luis Gustavo, the former Brazilian international, in the 22nd minute. Carpini's team is top of Group D on seven points, level with São Bernardo, with five goals scored and two conceded in three matches. There's a big psychological barrier for the Tricolor to overcome in this Clássico Majestoso; since Corinthians moved into the Neo Química Arena, a stadium built for the 2014 World Cup, it has never been beaten by São Paulo. In eighteen games, Corinthians won 11 and drew the remaining seven.

It's always difficult to predict a classic, and despite Corinthians' poor form, the truth is that São Paulo has never won in Itaquera. Corinthians lost its last two games, so a reaction from the team is expected. São Paulo, on the other side, is under less pressure and seems to have an opportunity to finally win at the Timão stadium, something that hasn't happened since March 2014, a match that took place at the old Pacaembu stadium. I'm leaning towards a draw in this clash.