Palmeiras v Cruzeiro

Palmeiras vs Cruzeiro Preview

Palmeiras missed out on an opportunity to take over at the top of the Brazilian Serie A table as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat away from home at the league leaders, Botafogo, during the week but the hosts now return to the home surroundings of their Allianz Parque for this upcoming clash, while Cruzeiro made it three league wins on the trot in the domestic top flight following a 2-1 home win against Bragantino which helped maintain the visitors' sixth place position.

Despite losing last time out, Palmeiras still occupy second place in the Serie A standings and having previously won three of their preceding four games beforehand with victories gained over Corinthians, Bahia and Atletico GO, Abel Ferreira's side will still feel confident about their chances of returning to winning ways in this fixture.

The bigger picture shows Palmeiras have lost just twice in their last 11 games overall in the Brazilian top flight which includes an earlier loss at the hands of Fortaleza in a 3-0 defeat away from home, but the hosts have also managed to collect no fewer than eight wins within these last 11 games overall.

Six of these eight defeats have been achieved on home soil at Allianz Parque and in addition to keeping five clean sheets within these last 10 home games, seven of these games have also resulted in Under 2.5 goals.

Cruzeiro currently occupy sixth place in the Brazilian Serie A table and the visitors now find themselves within just a single point of breaking into the top four places of the division and a possible Libertadores place as well, thanks to winning their last three league games on the trot.

Recent victories gained over Corinthians, Gremio and Bragantino respectively have maintained Cruzeiro's ambitions of either Libertadores or Sudamericana football for next season although recent weeks have produced something of a mixed bag of results for Fernando Seabra's side.

Within their last 10 games overall, Cruzeiro have won six, drawn once but lost the other three, while five of these six wins have actually been registered on home soil at their Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto where they have produced an impressive start at home, winning all seven of their games to date.

However, results away from home have been far less convincing so far this season as the visitors have gained only two wins from their nine outings on the road so far this term along with being dealt five defeats in the process.

Palmeiras v Cruzeiro Verdict

Palmeiras hold a good record over Cruzeiro in previous exchanges as the hosts have won four out of their last five meetings and with home advantage along with Cruzeiro's poor results on the road, Palmeiras should take the spoils here as well.

Therefore, our main bet will be Palmeiras win @ 1.60

Other side bets worth considering:

Palmeiras win & Under 2.5 goals @ 3.50

Correct Score: Palmeiras 1-0 @ 6.00