Fortaleza EC vs Ceara Prediction: Betting on the underestimated visitors

The third-round match of the Brazilian football championship will take place next Thursday when Fortaleza faces Ceara. The Fortaleza derby and the battle of the two outsiders in the tournament, where the bookmakers are on the side of the formal hosts.

After a very successful season, Fortaleza is now playing in the Libertadores Cup, and quite successfully. Fortaleza failed to take first place in Group F, but the Tricolores did manage to secure second place in a head-to-head clash with Chile's Colo Colo. As a result, Fortaleza finished second and will face Estudiantes in the playoffs. As for the Brazilian championship, Fortaleza isn't doing so well. After seven games in the national championship, the Tricolores are in 20th place, with two points. They have to improve their situation, especially since the Libertadores Cup group stage is already over, and they can concentrate on the domestic tournaments.

Like Fortaleza, Ceara also represents Brazil on the international stage, not in the Libertadores Cup but the South American Cup. Ceara has achieved six wins in six matches in the SC with a total score of 17:1, including beating Argentina's Independiente twice, at home and away. An excellent result, but Ceara and Fortaleza are doing poorly in the national championship. Ahead of the derby, Ceara is only 19th, four points ahead of Fortaleza, and has only won once in the tournament.

There is a feeling that the bookmakers slightly underestimate Fortaleza. Ceara is higher than their opponents in the standings and has a historical advantage over their rivals in all competitions and Serie A. The Ceara's impressive results in the South American Cup should not be discounted, nor should Fortaleza's positive results in the Libertadores Cup. Again, we believe that Fortaleza is overrated; respectively, the Ceara is underrated.

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