Fluminense have made a solid enough start to the Brasileiro Serie A season but may already have left themselves too much to do to win their first title since 2012 as they started this last round of fixtures before the World Cup break eight points adrift of leaders Palmeiras.
Big Flu can close the gap to Flamengo in second back to one point with a win on Sunday, while any kind of positive result will see them reclaim third, but a key reason why they are playing catch up has been their poor away form.
Luis Zubeldia's men have won only twice on the road in Serie A this season, losing four of their eight games, and now travel to the Mineirao to take on a Cruzeiro side that has been building momentum of late.
After failing to win any of their opening eight Serie A games, Cruzeiro have won six of their last nine to climb to 10th in the standings, and another victory on Sunday would see them jump to eighth.
Cruzeiro v Fluminense Tips Summary
Best Bet - Cruzeiro to win @ 43/50
Alternative Bet - Christian Cardoso to score or assist @ 8/5
Bet Builder - Cruzeiro or Draw Double Chance, Under 3 Goals, Both Teams To Score - No, John Kennedy 1+ Shots on Target, Matheus Pereira 3+ Fouls Won @ 6/1
Cruzeiro v Fluminense Prediction
Best Bet: Cruzeiro to win @ 43/50
While odds of 16/5 for a Fluminense win should not be dismissed lightly, particularly given the fact they have won four of their last five games in all competitions, their away form is a real concern and Cruzeiro can take advantage.
All four of those recent wins have come on home territory and the one setback was a 1-0 defeat at struggling Mirassol, now in 18th place after that shock success. In fact, Fluminense also lost their previous away game in Serie A at 13th-placed Internacional, have won only one of their last nine and scored just once in their last five on the road.
Cruzeiro are in a fine run of form, winning four times in an unbeaten seven-game streak which includes a perfect three from three at the Mineirao, while they also impressed with a 1-1 draw at leaders Palmeiras in that spell.
Momentum is building for Artur Jorge's men and they can continue their rise up the standings with another win over poor-travelling Fluminense, having won two of the last four head-to-heads, losing only once.
Alternative Bet: Christian Cardoso to score or assist @ 8/5
While Christian Cardoso has been a little streaky on the goal-involvement front this season, there are signs that he should be worth following to register a goal or an assist against Fluminense on Sunday night - not least a huge price of 8/5.
The 26-year-old has bagged five goals so far this season to lead the scoring charts for Cruzeiro with one more than Kaio Jorge, while he has also provided three assists - the joint-most for Raposa alongside Lucas Romero.
Christian has been revelling in front of his adoring fans as four of his five goals and two of his three assists have come at the Mineirao, which is sure to be bouncing in the final game before the World Cup break.
While he hasn't scored since the 2-0 win over Gremio last month, he has provided an assist in each of his last two games and looks good value to contribute once again for his side.
Cruzeiro v Fluminense Bet Builder Tip
- Cruzeiro or Draw Double Chance
- Under 3 Goals
- Both Teams To Score - No
- John Kennedy 1+ Shots on Target
- Matheus Pereira 3+ Fouls Won
Pays 6/1
While the hosts are fancied to win, including a draw in the double chance market for the first leg of this Bet Builder offers a little insurance given these two played out a 0-0 draw in this fixture last season.
None of the last seven meetings have seen more than two goals and all seven of those matches have seen at least one clean sheet too. With Fluminense also struggling to hit the net on the road, at least one clean sheet in a low-scoring contest make up the next two legs.
John Kennedy has been the leading offensive threat for Big Flu with eight goals so far, while he has hit the target at least once in 13 of his 17 appearances, while he has had multiple efforts on target in nine. One more could easily be coming up.
Matheus Pereira has been the heart of the action for Cruzeiro this season and may even have a target on his back. In 15 appearances, the 30-year-old playmaker has been fouled 59 times and at least three times in 12 of those games, while he won a whopping eight free-kicks last time out.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
- Fluminense won nine, drew three and lost five of their first 17 Serie A games to occupy third place
- Cruzeiro have won and lost six times this season, drawing five, to lie ninth after 17 games
- Cruzeiro have lost only twice at home in Serie A this season. winning four and drawing three times
- Fluminense have won only two away games in Serie A while drawing two and losing four
- Cruzeiro are unbeaten in their last seven games, winning all three home games in that run
- Fluminense have won four of their last five games, but all those victories were at home with the one away game resulting in a 1-0 defeat at 18th-placed Mirassol
- Big Flu have scored just one goal in their last five away games in all competitions
- These two played out a 0-0 draw at Mineirao last season, with Cruzeiro having won two of the previous three head-to-head meetings
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
