Fortaleza vs Cuiabá Prediction: The Cearenses are strong at home

Fortaleza is in third place and hosts Cuiabá, the second to last in the table, in a match where the home team is the favorite. In 15 games at the Arena Castelão, Fortaleza has won 12 and drawn 3, making it the only unbeaten side at home in the Brasileirão. However, Cuiabá was the first to beat Bahia away from home, so the Cearenses can't underestimate the opposition.

In midweek, the Lion was knocked out of the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals, an expected outcome after a surprising 2-0 home defeat in the first leg against Corinthians. The Paulistas won 3-0 in the second leg to claim their place in the semi-finals. Fortaleza can now focus on the Série A, where it has a good chance of finishing in the top four and securing qualification for the Copa Libertadores group stage. It was precisely in Cuiabá that the turning point in the season came, after a 5-0 defeat in a game that saw Fortaleza playing the second half with nine men.

The Golden Dorado is still struggling and hasn't won in three matches. Another worrying sign is that Cuiabá failed to score in those three games. The Matogrossenses are strong candidates for relegation if they don't improve quickly, with only 11 rounds left to play in the Brasileirão. Cuiabá has 23 points with one game in hand and is five away from the lifeline. The gap isn't impossible to recover from, but recent performances have shown offensive weakness that doesn't bode well. It would be great to bring home a point from Fortaleza. 

Fortaleza suffered a heavy defeat in the Copa Sudamericana midweek, but the team is doing outstandingly well in the Brasileirão. The third place allows Vojvoda's men to dream of qualifying for the Copa Libertadores. They need to finish in the top four to get into the group stage of the legendary competition. If the Cearenses maintain their momentum at home, they'll be closer to achieving that goal. Fortaleza has not lost at home in the league and is the favorite against Cuiabá, the 19th-ranked team. I'm betting on Fortaleza to win with a maximum of five goals scored in the match.