Fluminense vs Santos Prediction: Fluminense must win to forget the last defeat

The last round was quite bitter for Fluminense. A defeat in the visit to Coritiba was not in the plans of the Cariocas, who fell a little behind in the race. Fluminense now occupies 7th place, a position well below the value of the squad. At the start of the season, the Tricolor was among the teams best placed to win the Brasileirão. In this upcoming match with Santos, only one result matters, victory. Santos almost managed to defeat the league leader in the last round. The Fish led by two goals but allowed Botafogo to react late, and the draw came. Despite the positive result, Santos remains in 14th place in the standings.

Flu was disappointing in its last game as it lost 2-0 against Coritiba, a team positioned in the relegation zone. Despite finishing the game with 73% ball possession, Fluminense could not neutralize the home team's counterattack. Only victories make you forget defeats, so the Cariocas want the next game with Santos to come quickly. The Tricolor is along with Botafogo, one of the two teams that have yet to lose at home in the Brasileirão. The home team has managed five wins and three draws, with a goal average of 12-4. Flu will enter a cycle of very intense matches with a high degree of difficulty. Three days after the game with Santos, Fluminense will travel to Buenos Aires to face Argentinos Juniors in the Copa Libertadores.

In the 83rd minute of the game with Botafogo, the Peixe was leading 2-0 against the best team in the league. Santos could not withstand the final pressure of the Cariocas, who scored two goals in three minutes. The final result upset the Santos players by letting the victory slip away, but the team's performance was very good for most of the match. Marcos Leonardo scored the team's two goals. The young striker has scored five goals in his last three games. In these same three games, Santos conceded nine goals, which resulted in a poor average of three goals conceded per game. The team has to improve its defense if it wants to bring a positive result from the Maracanã.

Fluminense is the favorite for this game. The Cariocas are strong at home and will do everything to clean the image of the last game. Santos has a vulnerable defense, and away from home has the third-worst record.