Santos vs Vasco da Gama Predictions

Friday’s Brazilian Serie A action features a re-arranged clash between Santos and Vasco. The hosts will be looking to return to winning ways after falling to defeat over the weekend.

As disappointed as Santos were to lose their tricky trip to face Cruzeiro 2-1 on Sunday, Peixe’s current situation looks a far healthier one than it was a couple of months ago. The side had earlier looked a real risk of suffering a shock relegation but boss Cuca had stabilised the team since coming in and they now stand in a far more comfortable 11th place, 4 points above the drop zone.

Under Cuca, Santos may not play the most swashbuckling of football but he’s established some real defensive resolve, evidenced by the fact his troops have kept clean sheets in 8 of their last 9 matches. The hosts have also kept clean sheets in their last 5 consecutive home outings and will be looking to remain tight at the back on Friday, to help put some further daylight between themselves and the drop zone.

Meanwhile, Vasco have been in complete crisis in recent weeks but picked up a crucial 2-1 victory over relegation rivals Bahia on Tuesday to end a run of 5 without success. Nonetheless, only outside the drop zone on goal difference and with a volatile situation still hanging over the club, pressure is far from lifted in Almirante ranks ahead of this trip.

Despite their win, Vasco still cannot be travelling with much confidence, given the manner in which they’ve been playing recently. Having lost 3-0 on home soil to Santos earlier this month, the visitors have every reason to fear the hosts and an away record that reads 7 defeats from the last 8 matches has their prospects looking extremely bleak.

Ultimately, Santos are not fully out of relegation danger but claiming maximum points in games like this will see them end the season in a safe position and we expect to see a motivated performance from the hosts on Friday.

Given just how bad Vasco are on enemy territory, it looks almost certain that Santos will win the match and we really like the look of backing the home win in combination with it being to nil. Santos have been excellent defensively for quite some time now and shouldn’t be too troubled by a Vasco outfit that has failed to score in 4 of its last 5 games on the road, with a 1-0 margin of home victory on the cards.