Atletico Mineiro vs Bahia Predictions

Saturday’s Brazilian Serie A action sees Atletico Mineiro doing battle with Bahia. The hosts will be looking to build on a win last time out in order to hang onto their current top 6 standing.

Atletico Mineiro had been in poor form going into their midweek trip to already relegated Parana, but their 1-0 win ended a run of 6 matches without success and they’ll be hoping it proves to be a catalyst for a strong end to the season. Currently inside the Libertadores spots with a 1 point margin for error, Galo need to secure as many points as possible in the 4 games that remain, starting in this one.

Overall, it’s been a fairly strong season for Atletico. They started very well and looked like being in title contention and whilst they’ve dropped off somewhat, finishing in a Libertadores place would still rank as good going. Having won 10 of their 17 home games so far this campaign and losing just 1 of the last 8 in front of the home crowd, confidence is high going into Saturday’s match and there can be little doubting it’s simply a must win for them.

Meanwhile, after taking 7 points from the last 3 matches, visitors Bahia look to have staved off the threat of relegation for good, currently 10th and 7 points clear of danger. Tricolor could still do with putting a couple more points on the board but all things considered, they are all but safe and thus, there’s not a great deal of pressure riding on Sunday’s game for them.

That’s just as well, because the visitors have been far from impressive on the road this term and the only reason they’ve not been dragged into the dogfight is their impressive home form. Indeed, Bahia have won just 2 of their 17 away games so far this season and having lost 10 of said fixtures, it’s clear for all to see that they’re not a powerful force on the road.

Ultimately, it’s undoubtedly Atletico Mineiro who arrive with more riding on the game and we expect to see a motivated performance from them. They’ll be desperate to retain their current standing and having returned to winning ways last time out, confidence has been restored ahead of kick off on Saturday.

As far as the betting goes, backing a home win looks the way to play and at a more than reasonable price, that’s exactly where our money is going. Atletico are a pretty powerful home force, have more to play for than Bahia do and the visitors are weak travellers, meaning all factors point towards an Atletico win. We don’t envisage it being an enthralling watch but think the home side will be able to claim the all important 3 points via a 1-0 margin of victory.