Prediction: Flamengo vs Criciuma

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 5/11

Bookmaker: BetUS

Flamengo head into gameweek 18 of the Brasileiro eager to end their recent slump as they host Criciuma at Arena BRB Mane Garrincha on Saturday.

Third-placed Mengao are winless in their last two games, causing them to fall behind league leaders Botafogo. However, they aim to secure all three points against a Criciuma side that has managed to claim just one point from their last three matches.

Flamengo

Despite having played fewer games than the two clubs above them — Botafogo and Palmeiras — recent results have hindered Flamengo’s pursuit of their first league title since 2020.

A 1-1 home draw against a resilient Cuiaba was followed by a surprising 2-1 loss to Fortaleza at Maracana, causing Tite’s team to fall five points behind Botafogo and two points shy of Palmeiras, who were recently defeated by Fogo in a top-of-the-table clash.

Having had their potential midweek game against Internacional postponed, Mengao are eager to secure their first win in three matches and end a two-match winless streak at home.

A disappointing aspect of Flamengo’s recent form is their inability to keep clean sheets, highlighted by five consecutive games without one and only one shutout in their last ten top-flight matches. The only clean sheet during that period was a 1-0 win over Fluminense, the team with the joint-second-fewest goals in the league. This tendency to outscore opponents, rather than protect their own net, may ultimately be Tite’s side’s downfall this season.

Team News

Bruno Henrique (ankle) is not expected to feature for Flamengo, while Everton is questionable for Saturday.

Despite the competition’s conclusion and the quartet’s return to training on Wednesday, Tite is unlikely to restore Uruguay’s Copa America contingent — Matias Vina, Guillermo Varela, Nicolas de la Cruz, and Giorgian De Arrascaeta — to the starting XI so soon.

Criciuma

Criciuma will be aiming to exploit Flamengo’s defensive vulnerabilities on Saturday, eager to end their run of three matches without a win.

In that period, they secured only one point, which came against bottom club Fluminense in a 1-1 draw. This draw was flanked by 2-1 defeats to Vitoria and recently against relegation-threatened Corinthians.

Wednesday’s loss was particularly painful for Claudio Tencati’s men, who took a 1-0 lead through Claudinho before halftime but conceded twice in the second half to lose to Ramon Diaz’s side.

Angel Romero and Caca scored for Corinthians, handing Tigre their sixth loss of the season, with four of those defeats occurring on the road. This outcome marked Criciuma’s third consecutive away defeat and fourth in five road matches, despite starting the campaign with four points from an available six in their first two away games.

The recent loss puts the newly promoted side at risk of slipping into the bottom three this weekend, as their round 17 opponents are just two points behind Tencati’s team ahead of a challenging visit to Flamengo.

Team News

It remains to be seen if the injury that forced Matheusinho to be replaced by Allano on the hour mark against Corinthians will sideline the winger for this weekend’s match.

Being without their five-goal leading scorer would be far from ideal, but Tigre will look to Arthur Caike, Felipe Mateus, and former Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie to step up and shoulder the added responsibility.

Conclusion

It’s hard to imagine anything but a return to winning ways for Flamengo on Saturday, especially with Tite’s men well-rested after their midweek match against Internacional was postponed.

Even if they fail to keep a clean sheet, Flamengo’s ambition to challenge for the league title, combined with Criciuma’s ongoing struggles away from home, should see the hosts snap their two-match winless sequence in front of their fans.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 5/11

Bookmaker: BetUS