São Paulo vs Santos Prediction: Two leaders meet in the San-São Classic

The Tricolor Paulista and the Fish lead Groups D and A, respectively, with five rounds remaining in the first phase of the Paulistão. São Paulo has one more point than Novorizontino and São Bernardo but has a game in hand. Santos is more comfortable as it has a significant 12-point lead over second in its group, Ituano. The San-São Classic, as the match between these two historic clubs is known, has taken place 291 times, with São Paulo having the upper hand with 124 wins against 93 for Santos. The teams have drawn 72 times. The Tricolor has won 43% of the matches and the Fish 33%.

The surprising 2-0 defeat to Ponte Preta in the last round was São Paulo's first this year. We predicted difficulties for Carpini's team, given Ponte Preta's tradition of causing problems for the Tricolor, and so it was. Without having created much danger to the São Paulo goal before scoring, the Serie B team's goals came towards the end of the game, in a masterclass in desire and efficiency. Still, São Paulo leads its group, but its opponents are very close, so beating Santos is a must, not just because of the rivalry but to cement first place in Group D.

Despite playing with an extra player for the last half hour of the match, the Fish conceded an equalizer to Mirassol in the 89th minute. The final score of 2-2 reflects the balance of the game and the difficulties faced by Santos, the team that has scored the most points so far in the Paulistão. Even with the draw, the leadership of Group A is not in question, and the team of the eternal King Pelé goes to the Morumbi to show that despite being in the Série B, Santos will always be Santos.

São Paulo plays at home and is superior to Santos. The Tricolor Paulista holds the Copa do Brasil and the Supercopa do Brazil, while Santos dropped down to the Série B for the first time. However, the Fish is having an excellent Paulistão, perhaps due to wounded pride. My bet won't be on a winner but on both teams scoring. Santos will be comfortable, as qualifying is practically certain and could pose problems for São Paulo.