Last Updated on July 31, 2023 8:35 pm by Erwin Noguera
The Brazil Série A Season is at the halfway mark, as we hit the 18th matchday, and even though we are just starting our week, we are already looking at the final day of the weekend, for a Sunday afternoon match between Cruzeiro & Botafogo.
The Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto, best known as the Mineirão, will be the spot where the 10th-placed Cruzeiro will host the top team in the table, once Botafogo steps on the field.
O Fogo comes into the match pretty comfortably, with a 12 points lead at the front of the 2nd place, while the Raposa is in the middle of the crossfire trying to get into the front.
When:
Sunday, August 6th at 5:30 pm ET in the Mineirão, Belo Horizonte
Moneyline odds:
Cruzeiro +120
Botafogo +220
Draw Odds:
+220
Where Can I Watch?
Why Bet on Cruzeiro?
Cruzeiro is in mixed form in Brazil’s Série A accumulating just one victory and three draws in the last five. In total, they won three home games at Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto this season, so we hardly can say that it is a fortress, especially considering that we are hitting the middle point of the campaign already.
They have not been on the greatest run but they are looking to put the top dogs under pressure at their home stadium to score some needed 3 points, while also making a statement. Things are very tight at the moment and, except for Botafogo and a couple of relegation-threatened teams, we can say that all the teams are pretty much on equal ground.
Why Bet on Botafogo?
Sadly for the Raposa, Botafogo is precisely the team they will be facing to end their first round, so things look pretty dire. Is hard to not put O Fogo at the top in reference to the rest of the teams in the Americas. Yes, clubs like River and Cincinnati are doing pretty well (the Millonario was already crowned champion of Argentina’s First Phase). However, no team is playing football as delightful as this.
Is not just Tiquinho Soares having the form of his life, it’s also the perfect assembly that the midfield and defense (the best at the moment) make. They come from many victories in the last months, including a triumph over two legs in the Copa Sudamericana second round against Patronato. Their last defeat for the league was on May 14th, more than two months ago.
Betting Analysis: Cruzeiro vs. Botafogo
Cruzeiro may be the ones hosting this match, but their opponents are simply too much of an issue for any other team in the league to handle. We are expecting an interesting match with the Raposa showing their A-game, but we believe it will not be enough to stop Botafogo’s run.
The defense of the team from Minas de Gerais is just too leaky, so we expect a treat for Soares. We’ll go for a 1-3.
Go for Botafogo at +220. If you bet $100 at such odds, you could get $220 for a total payout of $320.
Cruzeiro vs. Botafogo Betting Pick: Botafogo
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