Ah, isn't this matchup just as delightful as finding a leftover slice of pizza at the back of the fridge at 3 AM? Corinthians vs Red Bull Bragantino. A real nail-biter. Possibly.
The goalkeepers for each team have held their ground this season. Red Bull Bragantino's Cleiton, with a 6.40 rating and 3 saves, doesn't exactly make me weak at the knees. On the other side, Corinthians' Hugo Souza, flaunting a 7.40 rating and 5 saves, makes me slightly less woozy, but not entirely incognizant.
If we glance at the player lineup, a cornucopia of talent indeed, Bragantino seems to have a thing for keeping the ball away from their opponents. Eric Ramires, Gabriel Girotto, and Jhon Jhon boast impeccable pass percentages, hovering around at an intimidating 80 to 100 range. These absolutely astronomical numbers are ticking time bombs for Corinthians if they don't keep their defenses up.
The Corinthians lads, however, strut their stuff a little differently. Here we have Rodrigo Garro and Breno Bidon, both with impressive ratings of 7.30 and 7.10 respectively, and pass percentages that are more or less on par with the Bragantino boys. Metaphorical featherweight Talles Magno too, shows promise with similar numbers – could be the team's secret weapon.
Analyzing the past face-offs between these two, it's been a game of tag so far. Red Bull Bragantino seems to have the upper hand, but Corinthians have had their sparse moments of glory too. However, Bragantino's regular season record of 7-2-3 does seem to cast a minorly gloomy shadow over Corinthians' 4-4-4 record.
As for recent results, I'm as surprised as anyone to see that both teams could be doing a bit better. You know, like actually winning more matches. Still, the sport is unpredictable and who knows what plot twist this game might bring?
With all that being said, and seeing how both teams have their unique strengths and weaknesses, here's my tip for the day:
Albert’s Prediction: Red Bull Bragantino by 1