Preview:Fluminense vs Bahia - prediction, team news, lineups

Bahia can advance to the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil for the first time in club history on Wednesday with a win or draw versus Fluminense at the Maracana in Rio.

The club from Salvador won the opening leg 1-0 to maintain their 100% record at home in that competition, and they remain unbeaten in the tournament this year.

Match preview

A late goal conceded last Thursday has put Fluminense in a hole, needing a win to have any hope of advancing to the Copa do Brasil semi-finals for the first time since 2015.

Coming into this match, they are winless in their previous three competitive fixtures, failing to find the back of the net on those last two occasions.

Two of those encounters ended in defeat for Renato Portaluppi’s men, who have not been shut out in three straight competitive matches since July when they were beaten by Chelsea (2-0), Cruzeiro (2-0) and Flamengo (1-0).

In the history of this event, the club from Rio have been eliminated from their previous four quarter-final ties when losing the opening leg, failing to win the return engagement each time.

However, the deficit is just a single goal and this team are unbeaten in their last four matches played at the Maracana, three of which ended in a victory for them.

Fluzao have won their last five home meetings with Bahia, conceding just one goal combined in that time, with all of those matches occurring in the Brasileiro Serie A.

Fresh off capturing their fifth Copa de Nordeste crown on Saturday, Bahia are on the verge of a historic achievement on Wednesday in what has been a solid 2025 campaign for them overall.

They currently sit fourth in the Brasileiro Serie A table with 36 points and have won six of their last seven matches played across all competitions.

Rogerio Ceni's team have won two of their previous three encounters away from home but did lose their last league game as the visitors 5-1 at Mirassol in late August.

Bahia have yet to concede an away goal in the competition this year, though both of those previous matches came against teams in lower divisions (Retro and Paysandu).

This is the seventh time they have featured in the last eight of this tournament, and they have gone on to lose the second leg of this tie in each of those previous six instances, winning only one quarter-final return match in the Copa do Brasil at home to Atletico Mineiro in 2002 (4-3).

In four of their previous five meetings with Fluminense, Bahia have earned a positive result, though they have not beaten them at the Maracana since the 2011 Brasileiro Serie A campaign (1-0).

Fluminense Copa do Brasil form:

Fluminense form (all competitions):

Bahia Copa do Brasil form:

Bahia form (all competitions):

Team News

After just 12 minutes, Samuel Xavier was forced off the field for Fluminense in their opening leg fixture due to a thigh problem, with Guga stepping in to replace him, and he is likely to start for them on Wednesday.

There were two new faces in their starting 11 for that match that did not begin their leg two contest in the last 16 versus Internacional, as Rene and Thiago Silva replaced Guga and Manoel.

Muscle strains kept Gilberto and Michel Araujo out of the Bahia lineup for the opening fixture, while Caio Alexandre and Ademir were sidelined because of hamstring injuries.

Luciano Juba scored the opening goal of that game, four minutes before the 90, and Ronaldo stopped the three Fluzao efforts that he faced for a clean sheet.

Fluminense possible starting lineup:

Fabio; Guga, Silva, Freytes, Rene; Hercules, Martinelli; Canobbio, Nonato, Serna; Cano

Bahia possible starting lineup:

Ronaldo; Arias, Duarte, Mingo, Juba; Acevedo, Lucas; Kayky, Ribeiro, Pulga; Tiago

We say: Fluminense 1-1 Bahia (Bahia advance 2-1 on aggregate)

Throughout the season, Bahia have shown they are up for a challenge, and after two successive appearances in the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, we believe this is the year they will finally break through.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.