Palmeiras vs Cuiaba Prediction & Betting Tips - Brasileirão Serie A

Prediction published on 13/04/2023, 14:50  by Devesh Jaganath in Football Predictions

League football returns to Brazil this weekend, and in the opening match of the Serie A campaign, we will see the defending champions, Palmeiras, welcome Cuiba to Allianz Parque on Saturday evening. The hosts were excellent last season, finishing as runaway winners of the league with 81 points after their 38 matches, eight points clear of closest contenders Internacional. Over the course of the season, Palmeiras recorded 23 wins, 12 draws, and just three losses, scoring 66 goals and conceding 27. The hosts will be full of confidence coming into this match, having beaten Tombense 4-2 in their third round, first leg Copa do Brazil match on Wednesday evening. That win followed an incredible comeback in the final of the Campeonato Paulista, where Palmeiras were 2-1 down on aggregate from the first leg but won the second match 4-0, ending up 5-2 winners on aggregate and securing their 25th state title. The hosts are unbeaten in their last three matches against this opposition, and based on their pre-season form, they will be eyeing up a solid win in this one. 

Cuiaba, on the other hand, were the first side above the drop zone last season, ending with 41 points, just four points above Ceara 17th, who were relegated, along with Atletico Goianiense, Avai, and Juventude. The visitors finished the season with a record of 10 wins, 11 draws, and 17 losses in their 38 matches, but finished the season very well, which played a huge role in their survival, losing just one of their last five matches, along with three wins and a draw. Cuiaba will also be in a good head-space for this match, having wrapped up their 12th Mato-Grossense title last week 3-0 on aggregate over Uniao EC. That match came after a solid run in the Copa Verde which ended in the semi-final stages, where they were beaten by Goias 2-0. Having managed to navigate their second successive season in Serie A, Cuiaba will want to move away from the bottom of the table this year and establish themselves as a top-flight regular. However, going up against the defending champions is never an easy task, and if they were to take anything from this match, the visitors will see it as a huge result to get their 2023 season underway.