Cruzeiro vs Ponte Preta Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

This is a big game for Cruzeiro who are just 2 points outside the drop-zone with only 10 games to play. It’s not so long ago they were the dominant force in this league so it has been some fall from grace. They do come into this match on a bit of a high though, following a 1-0 win over Gremio last weekend. It was an all too rare solid defensive showing and only their 5th clean sheet in the league this term. One of the others did come against this weekend’s opponents though, when Cruzeiro put in perhaps their best performance all year to win 4-0 at Ponte Preta in June.

The visitors on the face of it don’t have a huge amount left to play for. With 39 points to their name from 28 games, there is no real danger of them getting dragged into the relegation battle with their home form still very strong, despite a 2-1 defeat against Atletico Mineiro last weekend. However, since winning 3-0 at struggling Santa Cruz back in early July, they have been fairly shocking on the road so it’s hard to see how they are going to be anything better than a mid-table side.

Their main problem on their travels has been keeping the ball out of their own net. They’ve conceded twice or more in all of their last 7 away league matches, picking up just 2 points from them. Against a Cruzeiro side that will be gunning for 3 points and boast the best goal-scoring record in the bottom six, they may struggle to end that run here. Cruzeiro were really poor at home for much of the season but have picked up a bit over the past two months, losing just 1 of their last 7 home games.

Against a shaky Ponte Preta defence they should be able to complete the double over their opponents and score a few more goals to-boot, so backing Cruzeiro – Over 1.5 Team Goals at 5/6 looks to offer value.