And here we are, discussing the clash of giants - Fluminense versus Cruzeiro - a classic Brasileiro Série A matchup, dear friends.
Dig this - Cruzeiro has Cássio in the net, with a solid 7.30 rating and 10 saves under his belt. Fábio is handling goalkeeping duties for Fluminense, and he's not playing games either, with a 7.40 rating and 15 saves. A couple of formidable human walls, if you ask me.
Let's talk Cruzeiro's main men. Matheus Pereira is a notable mention with a 7.30 rating, with Zé Ivaldo coming up right behind him with a 7.20 rating and a goal to his name. Lucas Villalba, well, he hasn’t put the ball in the net but he’s been accurate with his passing, recording an 88.6% accurate pass rate.
On Fluminense's side, we got Jhon Arias with a 7.33 rating and 1 goal. Now, let me tell you something, Antônio Carlos might not have put any goals in the net, but he's been holding his ground with a 7.20 rating. Then we have Germán Cano, who's a notable presence for Fluminense with his 7.10 rating.
In past matchups, it's been a wild ride. The latest game saw Cruzeiro on top with a 2-0 score but let's not forget that Fluminense delivered a 2-0 shutout the time before that.
Nowhere near a Valentine's Day romance, these two.
Looking at the regular season records, Cruzeiro stands tall with 12 wins, while Fluminense is trailing behind with 7 victories. Cruzeiro's recent form has seen a mixed bag; winning, drawing, and losing, a real potpourri of results. Fluminense, however, hasn’t fared better either, suffering some sharp defeats.
So, who's gonna shine brighter in this dust-up? After going through the stats and data like an eagle-eyed accountant going through a messy tax return, here's what I've got for you:
Albert’s Prediction: Cruzeiro by 1