Sao Paulo vs RB Bragantino Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this one. Sao Paulo are sitting pretty in 8th with 44 points, while Bragantino are down in 14th on 36 - that's a proper gap between these two sides.

Recent form tells an interesting story. Sao Paulo have only won 3 of their last 10, but two of those wins came recently - a tidy 2-0 home win against Bahia and a 2-0 away victory at Vasco. They've kept a few clean sheets lately, which ain't bad going. But let's not forget they've had some absolute shockers too, like that 3-0 pasting they got from Mirassol.

Bragantino, on the other hand, are really struggling on their travels. Just look at their away form - 0 wins in their last 5 away games, and they're shipping goals at a rate of 2.2 per game on the road. That 5-1 hammering by Palmeiras shows what happens when they run into a decent side.

The head-to-head does give Sao Paulo fans some hope though. They've got a cracking record at home against Bragantino - 3 wins, 1 draw, no losses in 4 meetings. But the last time these two met, it ended 2-2, so Bragantino can definitely cause problems.

When you look at the attacking stats, neither side is exactly setting the world alight. Sao Paulo are averaging just 0.8 goals per game recently, while Bragantino are only slightly better at 1.0. Defensively, Sao Paulo are much tighter - conceding 1.1 per game compared to Bragantino's 1.8.

Both teams are struggling to find the back of the net consistently. Sao Paulo have kept 4 clean sheets in their last 10, while Bragantino have managed just 1. And with Bragantino's shocking away form - no wins in 5, conceding 2.2 per game - it doesn't look great for the visitors.

The bookies have Sao Paulo as favorites at 1.67, which seems about right given their home advantage and league position. But I'm looking elsewhere for value in this one.

Key Points:

• Sao Paulo have won 75% of home meetings against Bragantino

• Bragantino haven't won any of their last 5 away games

• Both teams averaging under 1.5 goals scored per game recently

• Bragantino conceding 2.2 goals per game away from home

• 4 of the last 9 head-to-heads have gone under 2.5 goals

Looking at all this, I'm fancying the under 2.5 goals market. Both sides are struggling to score, Sao Paulo are keeping it tight at home, and Bragantino aren't exactly prolific on the road either. The stats back it up, the form suggests it, and at 1.73, it looks like decent value to me.