Fluminense vs Atletico Mineiro Predictions

Saturday’s Brazilian Serie A action sees Fluminense doing battle with Atletico Mineiro at the Maracana. The hosts arrive under huge pressure and will be looking to pick up what would be a massive win.

Try as they might, Fluminense just can’t get themselves out of relegation trouble and are running out of time to avoid dropping into Serie B. On paper, Tricolor shouldn’t be anywhere near the bottom 4 with the quality they have in their ranks but with just 5 games left to play, that’s exactly where they find themselves, coming into Saturday’s game in 17th place and a point short of safety.

Since Marcao came into the dugout, Flu have looked a capable outfit on their day but have struggled for any sort of consistency. Indeed, even over the last week or so results have greater differed, with an excellent win at Sao Paulo failing to provide a springboard for another good result at the weekend, with the side losing at Internacional. Nonetheless, having lost just 1 of their last 7 home games, winning 3 times in the process, Flu are at least reasonably competitive on home soil and should be able to take something from this weekend’s game.

Meanwhile, Atletico Mineiro also come into the game under pressure and aren’t having a good season themselves. Galo looked like they could be title contenders in the early stages of the campaign but have since dropped like a stone, with 11 defeats from their last 18 league matches more than illustrating their struggles in recent months.

Whilst not in immediate danger, Atletico aren’t fully out of a relegation battle themselves and will know defeat in Rio could potentially leave them just 3 points above the Serie B trapdoor with 4 games left to play. On current form, you do have to fear for the visitors coming into the game and having failed to win in 10 away games, losing 6 times in the process, their prospects don’t look the brightest.

Ultimately, whilst this is a big game for both sides, it’s Fluminense who are in a more desperate state and urgently need a win. The hosts are rapidly running out of chances and we expect to see them play in a very aggressive manner this weekend and go all out for the win.

All things considered, we fancy Fluminense to get the win they need here and feel that backing a home win provides good value. Despite their struggles, they’ve been stronger than Atletico in recent months and having won their last 3 home games against the visitors, they should be able to edge what will be a tight game, with a 1-0 margin of home victory on the cards.