The glorious Brasileirão is getting closer to its mid-season, while this tournament has gifted us plenty of surprises, especially at the top. However, last season things started just like this, with an underdog taking the lead in the first eight matches just for Palmeiras to take the first place later and run with the championship.
But things can be different now, as el Verdao has fallen into a slump while Botafogo, which isn’t a little team by no means but is much more humble, has taken a good advantage. O Fogo is delighting everyone at this stage and we should wait to see how things develop going into midseason with tiredness accumulating.
Whatsoever, other good surprises have been the performance of the recently ascended big teams, as except for Vasco, Gremio, and Cruzeiro are competing at the top of the table.
Precisely the latter is one of the protagonists of this article, as the Raposa will be facing their local rivals of Atlético Mineiro in a breathtaking contest.
When:
Saturday, June 3rd, at 5:30 pm ET in the Estádio Mineirão
Betting Odds:
Cruzeiro +215
Atlético Mineiro +131
Draw:
+225
Where can I watch it?
Why bet on Cruzeiro?
After a long and painful string in the second division, the massive club from Belo Horizonte survived the economic and sporting crisis that almost takes them to Serie C and makes them disappear into oblivion. The last decade has been one of the contrasts for this club, as they were Serie A champions in 2014, so we cannot say that they are giants of the past like Botafogo. They were also successful at the regional level, but their case is one to take into account.
This is especially true for other big clubs in Brazil, as in the Brasileirão there are not such things as “averages” or other convoluted relegation systems designed to protect important and wealthy institutions. If your level in the season says that you go down, you go down.
However, now that is a thing of the past. They have done pretty well for a recently promoted club and are just one point away from their rivals, so a victory could be especially delightful.
Why bet on Atlético Mineiro?
Atlético’s case has been different from their local rivals, as they have gone from best to worse in the last couple of seasons. After a dominant display in their 2021 campaign that earned them the trophy, their level last season dropped massively, almost leaving them out of international competitions at some point. And that is quite the achievement in a league that provides up to twelve tickets for the Libertadores and Sudamericana.
In 2022 they started at a good level and were competing for first place at some point, just for their performance to fall dramatically in mid-season. They have a good squad, but they couldn’t take advantage of that either locally or in the Libertadores.
This season they hope to challenge for the title seriously again, although they are already 7 points behind Botafogo.
Final Betting Analysis: Cruzeiro vs. Atlético Mineiro
A battle of massive clubs and local rivals, the kind of match that paints entire cities of color in Brazil. Both teams are performing similarly, so we are sure they’ll go out with the knife in the teeth to advantage their foes. Looking at both squads Atlético Mineiro has more prominent names, but with their people on the stands, the Celeste grow a lot on the pitch.
We think that both will engage in a crossfire as their defenses aren’t too reliable at the moment, but believe that Cruzeiro will emerge victorious in an exciting 3-2.
Go for a victory for Cruzeiro at +215. If you bet $100 at such odds, you could get $215 for a total payout of $315.
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