Cruzeiro in a slump, face Athletico and Arena da Baixada curse | OneFootball

Cruzeiro will face more than just an opponent this Wednesday (18th) at 7:30 PM at Arena da Baixada, for the 7th round of the Brazilian Championship. Besides facing Athletico-PR, the celestial team will also need to overcome an uncomfortable recent record in Curitiba.

The last time Cruzeiro defeated the Hurricane as visitors was in 2017, when they triumphed 2-0. In the most recent encounters in the capital of Paraná, the team from Minas Gerais has faced difficulties, with losses and draws, including eventful matches like the 3-3 in 2023 and the 3-0 defeat in 2024.

Since 2018, Cruzeiro has not been able to replicate the performance of that away victory, turning Arena da Baixada into a real taboo to be broken. In Cruzeiro's last victory in Curitiba in 2017, the team was efficient and defeated Athletico-PR 2-0, with goals from Lucas Romero and Rafael Marques. Well-organized defensively, they relied on a good performance from Fábio to hold the result.

If the record imposes obstacles, the current moment also demands an immediate reaction. With only three points in six rounds, Cruzeiro is second to last in the Brasileirão and has not yet won in the competition. The campaign so far is marked by three draws and three losses, along with a worrying statistic: the worst defense in the tournament, with 14 goals conceded.

The negative streak culminated in the departure of coach Tite, and the team will be temporarily led by Wesley Carvalho. The assistant's initial mission is to reorganize the defensive system and try to give more consistency to a team that has struggled both to protect itself and to react in games.

On the other side, Athletico-PR is in a more stable situation. With seven points and one game less, the team from Paraná is in the middle of the table and is betting precisely on their home strength to keep scoring.

In the most recent clash between the teams, in October 2024, Cruzeiro had a lackluster performance and ended up defeated 3-0 at Arena da Baixada. The match was marked by the expulsion of Rafa Silva in the first seconds, which completely compromised the celestial game plan. With one more player, Athletico-PR dominated the actions and built the score with goals from Pablo, Julimar, and Nikão.

Recent encounters since Cruzeiro's last victory:

Athletico-PR 0x2 Cruzeiro — 07/12/2017 (Arena da Baixada, Curitiba)Cruzeiro 1×0 Athletico-PR — 11/05/2017 (Mineirão, Belo Horizonte)Cruzeiro 2×1 Athletico-PR — 07/22/2018 (Mineirão, Belo Horizonte)Athletico-PR 2×0 Cruzeiro — 11/10/2018 (Arena da Baixada, Curitiba)Cruzeiro 0x2 Athletico — 07/27/2019 (Mineirão, Belo Horizonte)Athletico 0x0 Cruzeiro — 11/06/2019 (Arena da Baixada, Curitiba)Athletico 3×3 Cruzeiro — 07/29/2023 (Arena da Baixada, Curitiba)Cruzeiro 1×1 Athletico — 11/30/2023 (Mineirão, Belo Horizonte)Cruzeiro 2×0 Athletico — 06/26/2024 (Mineirão, Belo Horizonte)Athletico 3×0 Cruzeiro — 10/26/2024 (Arena da Baixada, Curitiba)

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