Alright, buckle up folks, we're heading into a fierce matchup between Cruzeiro and Fortaleza. On paper, it's a close call, but humor me with some analysis.
In the goalkeeper department, João Ricardo for Fortaleza has been on fire with a rating of 7.43 and 26 saves. On the Cruzeiro side, we have a rotating door with Cássio and Anderson sharing duties. Cássio boasts a 7.73 rating - a hairline better than Ricardo, but with fewer saves at 19.
In player contribution, let's talk a bit about Fortaleza's ace, Tomás Pochettino. The man has a solid 7.62 rating, two goals, and an accurate pass rate just above 77%. There is also Juan Martín Lucero who bagged 3 juicy goals for his team. For Cruzeiro, it's guys like Matheus Pereira and William who have been making their mark with 2 goals each and pass accuracies above 78%.
History tells us these teams know how to give us a nail-biter. The past matchups indicate this will be taken right down to the wire. They've had some draws and close wins on either side. The recent form of both sides seems equally matched too. Both are enjoying a solid run of form with Fortaleza winning four out of their last five matches and Cruzeiro grabbing four victories in their recent matches too.
Taking everything into account, I’d say the stats are laying out a veritable buffet of competitiveness. Each side has their strengths: Fortaleza is coming with a stingy defense fortified by João Ricardo, while Cruzeiro boasts a sturdy frontline orchestrated by Matheus Pereira and William.
Since I must make a prediction, and since Cruzeiro seems to have a bit of the edge in attack, I'll go with...
Albert’s Prediction: Cruzeiro by 1