Bahia vs Fluminense Prediction: Neither team won in the opening round

The Brasileirão 2024 has started in style. With the first three rounds played in one week, the teams have hardly time to digest the results. Such is the case with Bahia and Fluminense. Neither of them won in the opening round, but their thoughts are already turning to the upcoming game.

The Baianos traveled to Porto Alegre to face Internacional in their first Brasileirão fixture. Despite scoring the match's first goal in the 70th minute, they allowed the Gaúchos to turn the game around and lost 2-1. It's normal to lose away to Inter, an above-average team in the Série A, but it's still frustrating for Bahia because it was leading with 20 minutes to go. Against Fluminense, it's crucial to at least avoid another defeat, as in Round 3, there's a derby with rival Vitória, and it would be a problem to go into that game with zero points, with extra pressure on the players.

The Cariocas, like Bahia, took the lead on the scoreboard and also allowed the opposition to turn the result around. Fortunately for Fluminense, Lima was inspired and scored his second goal of the game against Bragantino. A 2-2 draw at home wasn't the best way to start the Brasileirão for a team dreaming of the title. The Tricolor had played some good football but made some fatal defensive errors with consequences in the final result. Now, in Salvador, losing is out of the question, and even a draw shouldn't please coach Fernando Diniz. The team struggled away from home last year and must improve a lot in this regard.

The Brasileirão is still in its initial stage, and it's not yet clear what the teams are worth so early on in the competition. The Série A sides will evolve as they play more games and their coaches fine-tune their tactics. There is no obvious favorite in this match between Bahia and Fluminense, but to play at the Arena Fonte Nova has never been easy. Fluminense must show strength of will and can't afford to lose, so I'm leaning towards a Double Chance in favor of the Cariocas.