São Paulo v Internacional Bet Builder Stats & Predictions

Check out today’s picks, with updated betting tips for the week, by visiting my website Apostas e Palpites.

Match Odds: Correct Score Prediction

São Paulo v Internacional is an intriguing matchup in the second-to-last round of the Brazilian Championship, with both teams under pressure after suffering heavy defeats in the previous round. São Paulo comes off a disastrous performance, taking a historic 6-0 loss to Fluminense on the road. With several key players unavailable, the side coached by former Argentine striker Hernán Crespo will be the nominal home team, although the match will be played at Vila Belmiro, Santos’ stadium.

Fighting to stay in contention for a spot that could secure Libertadores qualification, São Paulo knows it must take all 3 points in each of the final 2 rounds. Internacional, however, steps in with even higher stakes. Inter was crushed 5-1 by Vasco, also in Rio de Janeiro, and now has only 2 games left to try to escape relegation. Sitting on 41 points, the team has dropped into the relegation zone in 17th place. A failure to win here could push it down to 18th.

Following the heavy loss to Vasco, Internacional fired coach Ramón Díaz and appointed a familiar face, Abel Braga. The club icon, a world champion as manager, now takes charge with the urgent task of keeping the team in the top flight.

Correct Score Prediction: 1-1

Fouls & Cards: Physical battles

Both São Paulo and Internacional rank among the 5 teams that commit the most fouls in the Brazilian Championship, with averages of 14.3 and 15.2 fouls per match, respectively.

These numbers suggest a very physical and tense matchup. The crisis affecting both clubs only reinforces this expectation. The referee for this game, Bruno Arleu de Araújo, has shown a total of 46 cards — 45 yellow and 1 red — in his last 10 Série A appearances, which results in an average of 4.6 cards issued per match.

Gabriel Mercado to commit 1+ fouls @ 1.40

Luciano Neves to be fouled 2+ times @ 1.50

Alexander Bernabei to be fouled 2+ times @ 2.75

Goalscorers: Poor defenses

Both teams have scored in 4 of Internacional’s last 5 matches and in 3 of São Paulo’s last 5. At this late stage of the season, both sides have stood out for the wrong reasons in their defensive phase. As mentioned, each team suffered a heavy defeat in the previous round. Over the last 5 games, São Paulo has conceded 13 goals (an average of 2.6 per match) and Inter has allowed 10 (an average of 2).

With that in mind, another matchup with goals on both sides is the expectation. Home advantage, in a stadium that is not São Paulo’s own, should not carry much weight, while Internacional relies on its offensive weapons Alan Patrick, formerly of Shakhtar Donetsk, and Rafael Borré, formerly of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Luciano Neves 1+ shots on target  @ 1.36

Alexander Bernabei 1+ shots @ 1.50

Luciano Neves to score or assist @ 2.05

By: @APalpites

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Steve Christo – Corbis Sport