Despite a bit of a rough patch for São Paulo, it's hard to cast them aside completely. Their goalkeeper, Rafael, has been keeping fairly steady with a 6.80 rating and 6 saves so far. Alisson and Luciano have also been bright spots on the team, demonstrating some precise passing, despite the lack of goals.
This doesn't mean Flamengo are heading to slaughterhouse. Far from that. Unfortunately, we don't have their goalkeeper's data or any info on their top players. Everyone must have gone on vacation.
Historically, the squads have been neck-and-neck. São Paulo has eked out a couple of wins, but Flamengo has also snuck one past them. Most recently, however, São Paulo hit the target and Flamengo did not. Maybe they were distracted by beach volleyball players... who's to say.
When we peek at the regular season records, Flamengo has a more decorated mantle: 7-3-1, compared to São Paulo's, err, less impressive 2-6-4. Unfortunately for São Paulo, their slew of recent losses doesn't paint a picture of invincibility either.
Flip the coin, and you'll find Flamengo in charming form lately, netting several victories, including a 5 nill thrashing against Fortaleza. The team seems to have found a nice rhythm, even if their drummers are as yet unnamed.
So, if you ask me, and I suppose you are, I'd say...
Albert's Prediction: Flamengo by 1