Our Football Bet of the Day column takes a trip to Brazil this Thursday as we’ve found an interesting odds against price from the Palmeiras vs Atlético Mineiro game that we think is worth a flutter…
Atletico Mineiro have a miserable recent record against Palmeiras but there are plenty of reasons to expect a better outcome for the visitors in their latest Brazilian Serie A clash on Thursday.
The Belo Horizonte side have hit some decent form recently and look to be taking on Palmeiras at the right time.
The Sao Paulo giants are handily placed in third but are in danger of falling off the pace following a poor run of results, and things may get even worse this week.
There are 12 rounds remaining in the Brazilian Serie A season and Botafogo remain the team to beat with a healthy lead at the top of the standings.
They have a nine-point advantage over RB Bragantino, but there are a host of teams tightly positioned in the chasing pack, looking to seal qualification for the Copa Libertadores.
Just six points separate second-placed Bragantino and Atletico Mineiro in ninth, and a frenetic finish can be expected to the Serie A campaign.
Palmeiras’s form has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks and they could drop out of the qualification places if they can’t turn around their fortunes quickly.
They have won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions and could find themselves out of the top six following this next round of matches.
Mineiro are one of the sides looking to pounce this week. They have a miserable record against Palmeiras, having failed to win in the last ten meetings, but they have looked lively in recent weeks and can approach this latest clash with plenty of confidence.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men have won six of their last ten league matches and have opened the scoring in each of their last six outings. Bagging the first goal again could be crucial on Thursday and, if Mineiro can strike quickly, a rare victory could be on the cards.
Palmeiras look a fragile bunch at the moment and that has been reflected in their lack of goals. They have failed to score more than one goal in any of their last nine fixtures, and it is fair to say this could be a tight encounter.
Each of the last five meetings between these two have failed to yield more than three goals, while under 2.5 goals has copped in nine of Atletico’s last ten matches.
It’s 8/13 about that outcome again this week but the 7/4 about an Atletico Mineiro win with the draw no bet looks a much better value option given the current form of the two teams.
The pair have met three times already this season and there have been just three goals scored in those matches, which finished 0-0, 1-1 and 1-0 to Palmeiras, and it’s not hard to envisage a similar result in this latest tussle.
However, it may be a rare occasion where Atletico Mineiro get to celebrate for a change.
