On a roll, Vasco ready to take on bottom side Cruzeiro and Tite at Mineirão | OneFootball

The reunion of giants in the technical area promises to ignite the battle against relegation this weekend. Vasco visits Cruzeiro next Sunday (15), in a clash that brings together the experienced coaches Renato Gaúcho and Tite. The match, valid for the Série A, takes on dramatic contours because the team from Minas Gerais has sunk and taken the dreaded last place in the competition.

The Vasco squad lands in Minas Gerais with sky-high confidence after the victorious debut of their new coach. Vasco overcame Palmeiras in an epic 2-1 victory in the last round, turning the score around with goals from Thiago Mendes and Cuiabano after initially trailing with a goal from Flaco López. Supported by more than 17,000 fans at São Januário, the saving triumph was enough to lift the Rio team out of the dreaded Z-4 after collecting just one point in the first four matches.

+ Renato Gaúcho reveals the behind-the-scenes of Vasco's comeback and praises mental strength: “Many players would like to be in their place”

The history between Renato Gaúcho and Tite

The tactical duel marks the reunion of the two celebrated coaches after a hiatus of two and a half years. In the last official encounter, the team led by Renato Portaluppi came out on top in a direct clash against Flamengo. Despite the most recent victory belonging to the current Vasco coach, the overall history shows a slight advantage for the opponent in the direct count between the two professionals.

The cold numbers highlight the strong balance throughout their careers on the sidelines. The two coaches have faced each other on seven different occasions. The record shows two victories for Renato Gaúcho, two draws, and three wins for Tite. The main goal of Vasco's football department now is to equalize this personal statistic and seek the team's first away victory in this edition of the national championship.

Renato Gaúcho won in his debut and seeks 3 more points – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

Vasco can deepen Cruzeiro's crisis

The calamitous situation of Cruzeiro imposes enormous pressure on the hosts. While the Rio club has reacted, the Raposa visited Flamengo in the current round, was defeated in the debut of rival coach Leonardo Jardim, and languished in the last position on the table. Currently, only three clubs have yet to win in the elite of Brazilian football: Remo, Internacional, and the Minas Gerais squad itself.

The statistical scenario of the rival team reveals a dreadful start to the championship, erasing the previous excitement from winning the Campeonato Mineiro. The Cabuloso led by Tite holds the worst defense in the league, conceding 11 goals, and suffers the second-worst attack, with only four goals scored. Vasco will try to exploit this enormous opponent's desperation to secure a second consecutive victory in the season and move away from the relegation zone once and for all.

Tite experiences instability in his career after a period with the Brazilian National Team – Photo: André Mourão / MoWA Press

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