Fluminense banking on strong home form to seal Copa Libertadores group spot | OneFootball

The Maracanã has been one of Fluminense's greatest assets this season. This year, the Tricolor das Laranjeiras played 34 times as the home team, won 23, drew seven, and lost only four, achieving a success rate of 74.5%.

The team led by Luis Zubeldía is the third-best home team in the Brasileirão, behind only Flamengo and Bahia. In fact, if Fluminense beats Esquadrão de Aço, they will finish the Championship as the second-best home team, behind the red-black rival.

Since Zubeldía's arrival, the record is even better. In eight matches, there were eight victories, with 17 goals scored and only one conceded. During this period, the Tricolor das Laranjeiras defeated Botafogo and Flamengo, as well as thrashing São Paulo.

Taboo against Bahia

Besides the good performance at home, Fluminense has another asset to secure a spot in the Libertadores group stage. As the home team, the Carioca team has not lost to Bahia since June 2011, when they suffered a 1-0 defeat, with a goal by Jobson.

Since then, there have been 11 games: eight victories for Fluminense and three draws. The matches took place in the Brasileirão and the Copa do Brasil and were held at Maracanã, Mané Garrincha, and Engenhão.

At Maracanã, the venue for this Sunday's match, there were eight matches, with seven victories for Fluminense and one draw. The most recent encounter was in September, when the Tricolor defeated Bahia 2-0 in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals, with goals by Canobbio and Thiago Silva.

For the Libertadores

This Sunday's match is decisive, as it is worth a direct spot in the Libertadores group stage. Currently, Fluminense is in fifth place, with 61 points, followed by Bahia, which has 60.

In case of a draw, Botafogo, in seventh place also with 60 points, needs to beat Fortaleza to take the fifth position.

However, Fluminense has another chance to secure a direct spot: winning the Copa do Brasil. The team will face Vasco in the semifinals, with the first leg scheduled for next Thursday at 8 PM (Brasília time), at São Januário.

Next match

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.