Fluminense welcome Bahia to the Maracana for the second leg of their Copa do Brasil quarterfinal tie. The visitors hold a slim lead from the first meeting, and the hosts will be counting on their home form to overturn the deficit.
Fluminense were beaten 1-0 in the first leg of this tie, failing to find the net despite creating numerous scoring opportunities. That result is part of a poor run for Renato Gaucho's team, who are winless in their last three matches, playing out a 0-0 draw at Santos in a Brazilian Serie A clash last weekend.
Having been on the road in their last three matches, Fluminense are back at the Maracana, where they are unbeaten in their last four matches. They have picked up three wins on this run, earning a 2-0 home victory over America De Cali in the previous round of the Copa do Brasil.
Luciano Juba's late strike earned Bahia the first-leg advantage, and they will be looking to build on that result. They have been in good form lately, winning six of their last seven matches in all competitions.
While things appear smooth for Bahia at the moment, their away form could use some improvement, having failed to win seven of their last 10 fixtures on the road. However, Rogerio Ceni's team will head into this clash with some confidence after claiming a 4-1 victory at Confianca in the previous round of the Copa do Brasil.
How the bookies view it: Upper hand for Fluminense
Fluminense have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at Evens by BoyleSports to claim the win. A victory for Bahia is valued at 12/5 while a draw is set at odds of 15/8.
Head to head: Fluminense just ahead
Fluminense have a 13-8 advantage with seven draws from 26 previous matches against Bahia. The last meeting was the first leg, which ended 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
Players to watch: Eyes on Cano
German Cano is the man to watch for Fluminense, having found the net four times in the Copa do Brasil this season. The veteran forward should feature in attack alongside Kevin Serna, and both men can score over 0.5 goals – available at 2/7 with BoyleSports.
Juba carries a major goal threat for Bahia and was on target in the first leg. With Willian Jose also looking sharp in attack, both men can combine to score 0.5 goals for the visitors (Bahia 0.5 goals – valued at odds of 3/5).
Probable line-ups:
Veteran goalkeeper Fabio is expected to keep his place for Fluminense, with Thiago Silva and Juan Pablo Freytes in the heart of defence. Matheus Martinelli and Hercules should get a spot in midfield, with Agustin Canobbio, Kevin Serna and Cano tasked with getting the goals.
For Bahia, Ronaldo should start in goal, while Santiago Arias, Santiago Ramos Mingo and Juba should be part of the defence. Nicolas Acevedo and Everton Ribeiro are in midfield, with Kayky and Jose in attack.
Fluminense: Fabio, Rene, Freytes, Silva, Guga; Martinelli, Hercules, Canobbio, Acosta, Serna, Cano
Bahia: Ronaldo, Arias, Duarte, Mingo, Juba, Acevedo, Lucas, Kayky, Ribeiro, Souza, Willian Jose
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been goals in each half in five of Fluminense’s last eight matches (Goal in each half – offered at 11/10 with BoyleSports). The hosts have also led at the break in three of their last four home matches (Fluminense halftime win – set at odds of 15/8).
Both teams have scored in Bahia’s last three away matches (BTTS YES – priced at Evens).
GambleAware