Athletico Paranaense v Cruzeiro

Athletico PR vs Cruzeiro Preview

Recent back-to-back wins in the Brazilian Serie A have helped lift Saturday afternoon's hosts, Athletico PR, up into fifth place in the domestic top flight and the home side will be seeking a third win on the bouncde when they entertain Cruzeiro at their Ligga Arena.

Previous wins against Bahia and Vasco da Gama, in home and away victories respectively and both by 2-0 margins will give Athletico PR confidence ahead of this weekend's action in the Brazilian top flight especially as they now have a possible top four finish in their sights and the accompanying Copa Libertadores spot as well.

However, after making a promising start to this Serie A campaign which yielded four wins from their opening six games of the season by way of victories against Goias, Flamengo, Internacional and Coritiba, Athletico PR have seemingly lost their way a bit in recent weeks.

Just four wins from their last 10 matches suggest a straight win here for the hosts may not be as straightforward as many think, while six of these 10 games also resulted in Under 2.5 goals being scored so the goals market may be worth a look.

Cruzeiro dropped down to 11th place in the Serie A standings following a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Goias last weekend and this defeat ended a previously encouraging four-match unbeaten run in the Brazilian top flight that consisted of two wins and two draws.

Wins against Sao Paulo and Vasco da Gama should still give Cruzeiro belief that they can match their upcoming hosts at the Ligga Arena along with having picked up points in draws with Internacional and Coritiba as well.

In addition, Cruzeiro had also kept clean sheets in each of these preceding four games too, which had contributed to some low-scoring games overall - indeed, nine out of Cruzeiro's last 10 league matches in Serie A have resulted in Under 2.5 goals and another low-scoring encounter may well be on the cards at the Ligga Arena on Saturday afternoon as well.

Cruzeiro bring a solid sequence of results on the road into this clash too, as the visitors are unbeaten in their last six matches on their travels and this sort of form could see the away side keep pace with their high-flying hosts.

Athletico PR v Cruzeiro Verdict Overall results in recent weeks have been a little questionable where Athletico PR have been concerned and whilst Cruzeiro have also produced some inconsistent results as well, form away from home could see Cruzeiro cancel out the hosts' attacking threat.

In addition, each of the last three meetings between Athletico PR and Cruzeiro have also been Under 2.5 goals.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 2.5 goals @ 1.66

Other side bets worth considering:

Cruzeiro win @ 3.80

Correct score: Cruzeiro 1-0 @ 9.50