Cruzeiro vs Ceara Predictions

Wednesday’s Brazilian Serie A action sees Cruzeiro doing battle with relegation threatened Ceara. An open, exciting game is expected to be in order with plenty of chances at both ends.

Currently 10th, there’s very little left for Cruzeiro to play for in the 9 games that remain and Raposa can now enjoy playing essentially pressure free. There’s a good feeling around the club at the moment, after the side defended their Copa do Brasil crown last week and that’s a sentiment only further enhanced following a 3-0 mauling of Chapecoense over the weekend.

Cruzeiro played very well in said match and it showed they will not be going into the remaining fixtures unmotivated and instead will be looking to put on a show for their fans. Now unbeaten in 7 home matches, Mano Menezes’ will go into Wednesday’s match with confidence sky-high and another strong showing is the only target.

Meanwhile, visitors Ceara certainly do not arrive with the pressure off, currently scrapping for their top flight lives. Having been rooted to the bottom in the early stages of the campaign thanks to a terrible start, the fact that Ceara are even in with a chance of surviving is a testament to their improved form in recent months but the great escape is far from complete, with the visitors two points adrift of safety.

Nonetheless, having lost just 2 of their last 8 games, in brave defeats at Gremio and Palmeiras respectively, confidence is high in visiting ranks and if their last two trips are anything to go by, they’ll travel to Belo Horizonte with an aggressive game plan in mind. Ceara travelled to the aforementioned two matches as huge underdogs given Gremio and Palmeiras are amongst the strongest sides in the division, but after losing just 3-2 and 2-1 respectively, the visitors have shown they can trade blows with anyone on the road and will be looking to prove that again on Wednesday.

Ultimately, with Cruzeiro playing carefree attacking football now and Ceara being forced into chasing wins in every game given their desperate position, neither team is expected to sit back in this clash and it should be a pretty entertaining watch.

As such, backing the over 2.5 goal line to be cleared looks an excellent way to play and is exactly where our money is going. Cruzeiro’s last two matches have featured over 2.5 goals and they’ve also scored an average of 1.6 goals over their last 5 home games, whilst 3 of Ceara’s last 4 matches have ended with over 2.5 goals, so it’s a bet that really appeals all things considered.

As for the result itself, unfortunately for Ceara, we envisage them falling just short once again, with a 3-1 home win our correct score prediction. In good shape and with the crowd behind them, the hosts should have a bit too much quality for the visitors and we think they’ll pick up the points, despite not having everything their own way in the 90 minutes.