Football Bet of the Day: Cruzeiro to cruise to another home victory

Cruzeiro currently lie in sixth position in Brazil’s Serie A, but given the tight nature of the table this year, they still have a chance of making a big impression at the top end. They are five points off the league leaders Flamengo and could close the gap with three points on Saturday.

Below you can find my Football Bet of the Day for Saturday, July 12 as we turn our attention to South America. 

Cruzeiro vs Red Bull Bragantino Odds

With 26 points so far, Cruzeiro will hope to continue their good form with another three points here. I’m fairly certain they will win this game for a number of reasons. First of all, their home form has been nothing short of sensational so far this term. 

They've now played six league matches at home this season, won all six, scoring 15 goals and conceding just four in the process. If it wasn’t for a slightly dodgy set of results on the road, they would be far higher in the table than they currently are, yet I still believe that Fernando Seabra’s men could go close to the top four this season, having finished 14th last term. 

In the last three matches, Cruzeiro lost 1-0 against Criciuma, but beat Corinthians by 3-0 and also won 2-0 against Gremio. Meanwhile, Saturday’s opponents Red Bull Bragantino finished sixth last term and will look to build on that, but they are currently down in ninth in the table. This is going to be an evenly-matched game, but I’m backing the home side to get the job done without conceding. 

Bragantino have only won one of their eight away league matches this season, and their performances on the road have been poor. It feels like the location of this game is going to play a huge part, and while these sides drew 0-0 when they met in this fixture last season, I think Cruzeiro have improved, and RB Bragantino have regressed ever so slightly. 

Bragantino were dominated by Sao Paulo in their last outing, and a trip to Belo Horizonte is the last thing they need given Cruzeiro have taken maximum points at the Mineirão this term. With three clean sheets in their last three home games, their solid defence can secure them a comfortable win on the night. 

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