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There’s a full round of Brasileirão fixtures over the weekend and our South American expert, Nathan Joyes, returns to provide his Flamengo vs Palmeiras prediction, team news, lineups and fixtures preview.
Flamengo are in hot pursuit of Botafogo for first spot in Brazil’s Serie A, who will face another tough test this weekend against the reigning champions. However, Tite’s side have a strong record against Palmerias on home soil, having also beaten them in the Copa do Brasil last week.
We’re back, as host Daniel Jenkins is joined by bettingexpert Football Editor, Sam Ingram, and bettingexpert contributor, Jack Wright, who serve up fifteen selections between them.
The pair take a forensic look at the ante-post outright betting markets with the aim of serving up a number of value selections ahead of the return of domestic football in the Premier League, Championship, League One and Two.
Brazil, Brasileirão, Sunday, August 4th, 01:30 (UK)
At the time of writing we only know the first leg result between these two sides in the Copa do Brasil, but Flamengo came out as worthy 2-0 winners.
In fact, they dominated the entire match from start to finish. Tite’s side had 17 shots compared to Palmeiras’ two, who failed to hit the target in the entire match. Although 2nd and 4th in the league, it felt as though there was a much bigger gap between the two clubs.
This will be the third meeting in just over a week between these two, but Abel Ferreira still won’t have teenage star Estevao for the trip back to the Maracana. Without their tricky winger capable of producing moments of magic, Palmeiras looked out of ideas from the first whistle.
Proving competitive across all competitions, Tite is getting a tune out of his star studded squad, who have now won their last three matches at the Maracana.
Both teams have Copa Libertadores fixtures to contend with next week, but Fla face Bolivar, while Palmerias come up against Botafogo. If anyone was to rest players for this fixture, it’ll likely be Palmeiras – which also helps us out with our prediction.
Pedro missed out on the trip to Sao Paulo due to serving a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards but will be back for this important fixture.
And as those who follow my columns know, I can’t not back against the Brazilian striker at the moment. If he keeps landing us winners, there’s no need to change our strategy, right?
The 27-year-old has scored five in his last six matches, but this isn’t just a purple patch.
He’s scored 10 goals in 19 Brazil Serie A games, three in three in the Copa do Brasil and five in five in the Libertadores. Everything he touches seems to end up in the back of the net at the moment, and with quality players around him providing the service, it’s hard to see his run coming to an end any time soon.
Still, he’s yet to be odds-on to score which seems outrageous, and if the game plays out anything like the first leg in the cup between these two, Pedro will have plenty of opportunities to keep himself clear at the top of the goalscoring charts.
Despite Flamengo’s domination against Palmeiras, it took until the second half for Ferreira’s side to be broken down – something that could happen once more.
As mentioned, this is the third time these two sides have met in just over a week, and with that in mind, it’s hard to see a goal fest happening in the opening 45 minutes. Both teams will have figured each other out, and it’s likely the starting XIs won’t change much – if at all.
Tite is a manager who doesn’t change his side often despite the demanding schedule, and this could allow Palmeiras to be ready and know what they’ll be hit with from the first whistle.
We’ve seen a second half goal in each of Flamengo’s last five wins at the Maracana, including extremely late winners against Bahia and Criciuma. Tite’s team don’t give up easily, so expect a more attacking performance in the second period if the game is level.
Flamengo vs Palmeiras Prediction odds via bet365 as at 15:30, August 6th, 2024. Odds may now differ.
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Cunha; Lucas, Luiz, Ortiz, Varela, Pulgar, Gerson, de Arrascaeta, Araujo, Everton, Pedro
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Paulista, Gomez, Reis, Giay, Anderson, Veiga, Rios, Ze Rafael, Moreno, Rony
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