Flamengo vs Atletico Paranaense Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Flamengo have the chance to go ahead of compatriots Atletico PR in the race for a last 16 spot. The match will be played in front of a huge home crowd, with more than 50,000 tickets sold in a game being held at the iconic Maracana. Said venue saw Flamengo kick off their Libertadores campaign in stunning fashion, recording a 4-0 win over Argentine’s San Lorenzo, but defeat in the second round of fixtures to Universidad Catolica has them needing a result here to get back on track. Meanwhile, Atletico PR currently sit joint top of the group, after accumulating four points and know that avoiding defeat here would be a massive step in the road to the knockout phase.

Flamengo come into the game slightly disappointed. That’s because they missed out on the final of the Copa Rio over the weekend, after drawing 0-0 with city rivals Vasco de Gama in a game they needed to win. The side should still be in good spirits however, given that the defeat to Catolica remains their only one in 2017, having gone undefeated in the other nineteen games contested, winning thirteen. In front of the home crowd, performance has been excellent, with the side winning nine from ten, conceding just four goals in the process.

While recent performance from Atletico PR may have been uninspiring, the weekend’s 0-0 draw with Parana in the second leg of Parana State League at least saw them safely through into the semi’s, having held a 1-0 lead from the first leg. Atletico have just won win from their last five, which is a concern considering every opponent has been from a lower division. Goal scoring is a real problem, with them finding the net just three times over that period, something that looks unlikely to be solved any time soon given injury troubles.

The pressure is on Flamengo, they need the win far more than the visitors do. They can be confident in getting the job done given how strong they are at home. Atletico PR have shown good away resolve in the competition so far this year, navigating tricky ties against Millonarios and Deportivo Capiata to qualify and beating San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires. However, it’s hard to ignore their truly awful away performance in last season’s Brazilian top flight in which they lost 14 times from 19 games.

It’ll be a tight match. Flamengo’s last three games have all finished with less than three goals, whilst the same can be said of Atletico’s last five. Given the fact that Flamengo have conceded just four goals on home soil this calendar year and are coming up against a side with a mounting absence list in attack, we fancy the hosts to edge the tie in a 1-0 win, the same scoreline in which last year’s clash in the same venue ended.