Fortaleza vs Bahia Prediction: Will Fortaleza confirm its status as the best team in the Northeast?

The two Northeastern teams will meet at the Castelão on June 3. Fortaleza has made a good league start, occupying the 9th place. The Ceará team has lost only once and is still undefeated at home.

It has been a difficult return to Série A for Bahia. The team is in 16th place and has lost five times. Bahia’s best result was an away win against Vasco da Gama in Round 3, an opponent also promoted from Série B.

After a gloomy period of five games without a win, a 3-2 victory over Argentina’s San Lorenzo secured qualification for the knockout stage of the Copa Sudamericana. A result that seems to have brought back the confidence of the Leão do Pici. A few days later, in the league’s Round 8, Fortaleza beat Vasco da Gama 2-0, with both goals being scored near the end of the game. This week a 1-0 win over the mighty Palmeiras was not enough to move on in the Cup, but once again Fortaleza showed quality. The team coached by the Argentinian Vojvoda wants to continue the good season and, with the support of their fans, get another victory.

The team from Salvador wants to get out of a negative period of four games without wins for the league. They will have no easy task at the Castelão, always a difficult stadium for visitors, but Bahia urgently needs points. In the last round in Porto Alegre, the Tricolor de Aço lost to Internacional, who was on a four-game losing streak in the Brasileirão. Portuguese coach Renato Paiva has a lot of work ahead to improve the team, otherwise, Bahia will likely fall into the relegation zone, known as the Z4. This week in the Copa do Brasil after a draw with Santos, the team managed to qualify for the quarter-finals on penalty shootout. This hard fought victory can improve the team's morale. A good result in Fortaleza could give the Bahians more peace of mind.

• In 43 clashes between both teams, Bahia has the upper hand with 16 wins against 13 from Fortaleza;
• In the last game between the two teams, Fortaleza went to Salvador to win 3-0 for the Copa do Nordeste 2023.

At home, Fortaleza is not an easy team to beat; Bahia has to outperform to bring a victory from the Castelão. In eight rounds, the team hasn't shown itself competitive enough yet. Fortaleza seems, for now, to be on a higher level, and therefore, they are the favorites to win the game.