Sao Paulo aim to take points off of league leaders Palmeiras on Saturday and throw the league title fight wide open.
Sao Paulo have drawn three straight matches in the Brazilian Serie A as Pameiras comes to town for a big match up.
Palmeiras have won six straight matches and sit five points above second-place Santos. If they are to slip up and allow Santos to gain ground, it will come this weekend.
Sao Paulo are undefeated at home this season posting one win and three draws in eight fixtures. After defeating Botafogo 2-0 in their home opener, the Tricolour have drawn three straight home matches.
They have drawn with Flamengo, Bahia, and Cruzeiro with just two goals being scored across 270 minutes of football. Sao Paulo have posted a +2-goal difference at home with four goals going into the back of the net and two clean sheets being tallied.
Likewise, Palmeiras are undefeated on the road. However, they have taken three wins and posted one draw on their travels.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team has been great in front of goal scoring six times and conceding just two scores on the road. Their last three away matches all ended in victory with Palmeiras outscoring opponents 5-1.
Palmeiras are unbeaten in five of their last six matches against Sao Paulo. The clubs have met three times already this season in the Paulista Championship. Palmeiras were undefeated in the three fixtures after 90 minutes. However, they did lose on penalties in their last meeting in the tournament to Sao Paulo.
Five of the last six meetings between Sao Paulo and Palmerias saw under 2.5 goals scored. The two sides do not tally many goals when they meet and Saturday’s fixture should be another low-scoring affair. Sao Paulo’s last nine home matches against Palmeiras saw under 2.5 goals scored.
After 89 matches in the Serie A this term, games average 2.3 goals per game. Despite the idea that Brazilian football is fluid and goals are scored at will, the league sees a lot of low scoring matches.
Sao Paulo striker Alexandre Pato leads the Tricolour in goals this season with three. He has contributed 38% of the team’s scoring. Meanwhile, Palmeiras’ Dudu has tallied four assists and has been the creative engine in the team.
Saturday’s match in Sao Paulo should see the two side draw for a third time in four meetings this season. Expect under 2.5 goals as Sao Paulo and Palmeiras ends in a stalemate.