One of two Serie B sides still standing in the Copa do Brasil, Cruzeiro will head to the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday for the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Fluminense.
Raposa have made it to this stage of the competition for the first time since 2019, defeating Remo on penalties after being tied 2-2 on aggregate, while Flu took out Vila Nova by a combined score of 5-2.
Match preview
© Reuters
Fluminense had to work hard to claim victory in their opening fixture of the third round, falling behind twice versus the second-tier side from Goiania, tallying three times in just over 20 minutes.
That comeback seemed to give them the confidence needed to go on the road and book their spot in the last 16, scoring in the opening 10 minutes of the second leg and cruising to a comfortable 2-0 win, to advance to this stage of the tournament for a second successive campaign.
They faced Cruzeiro in the round of 16 back in 2019 and fought hard to the bitter end, scoring an injury-time equaliser in both matches, but missing three penalty kicks, leading to their elimination.
Under manager Fernando Diniz, Fluzao depend on overlapping runs from their fullbacks, with their midfield lying deep, looking to take advantage of those half-spaces.
Throughout the 2022 campaign, they have enjoyed their share of possession, as these players like to move the ball around and slow down the pace of a game if need be.
You rarely see them not pressing their opponents during an encounter, and they have done a better job at covering the space left open from their attacking defenders, failing to concede in two successive domestic games.
© Reuters
Currently, in their third successive season in Serie B, Cruzeiro look poised to make it back into the top flight, leading the second-tier standings with 31 points.
The club based in Belo Horizonte are the most successful club in the history of the Copa do Brasil, capturing six titles, with their previous triumph coming in 2018.
Cruzeiro have not been knocked out at this point of the Copa do Brasil since 2015 and are unbeaten in their last eight Round of 16 encounters.
As the first manager since Brazilian legend Ronaldo became the principal owner of the club, Paulo Pezzolano has vowed to put an intense team on the field, aiming to play forward and put their opponents on their heels.
So far domestically, they have done precisely that and more, leading the league in goals scored (16) while also being challenging to break down at the back, conceding the joint-fewest strikes in Serie B (five).
Even though it can take them a while to get going, when those openings arise, they can be potent, scoring 10 goals in four matches, six of which came in the final 45 minutes.
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
German Cano, who leads Fluminense in goals domestically this season, scored his seventh of the campaign on Sunday, drawing even with Stiven Mendoza of Ceara, while Matheus Martins notched his first of the campaign and Fabio collected his second successive clean sheet.
Goals from Ganso, Fred and German Cano helped them capture the first leg of their fixture against Vila Nova, and Cano would find the back of the net again in the second match, with Luiz Henrique scoring as well.
Felipe Melo and Cris Silva could be missing for a few more weeks because of muscle injuries, while Luan Freitas is unlikely to feature due to a problem in his knee.
A goal from Rodolfo put Cruzeiro within striking distance of Remo in the third round, but Edu has been the star for them in this competition, scoring four goals in the opening three stages.
Rafael Cabral was the hero in the third round stopping four penalty kicks to send his side into this stage of the competition, despite misses from Edu, Ze Ivaldo and Rafael Silva.
Neto Moura leads them in assists domestically this season with three, one more than Jaja, while Matheus Bidu and Edu each scored to give them a 2-0 win over Ponte Preta.
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
Fabio; Calegari, Nino, Claro, M. Xavier; Wellington, Andre; Nathan, Ganso, Henrique; Cano
Cruzeiro possible starting lineup:
Cabral; Ivaldo, Oliveira, Brock; Romulo, Willian, Moura, Bidu; Rodolfo, Edu, Silva
We say: Fluminense 1-1 Cruzeiro
Even though these teams play in opposite divisions, we can expect two tight matches between these sides, who possess plenty of quality in all areas of the field.
Cruzeiro have a point to prove that they can be a force to be reckoned with once again, so we expect they will give a talented Fluzao squad all they can handle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
