Ceara will be out for revenge when they face their biggest rivals Fortaleza in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil Round of 16 clashes at Castelao, with kickoff at 2 am.
Fortaleza has struggled in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, sitting near the bottom of the table after finishing in the top four last year. They had no trouble making it beyond the third round of this tournament for a second successive season, defeating third-tier side Vitoria 4-0 on aggregate.
Their performances in this competition and Copa Libertadores may be the one saving grace for manager Juan Pablo Vojvoda. He might be in danger of being sacked because of their struggles domestically.
At this tournament in 2021, Fortaleza was able to use the home field to their advantage, making it to the semi-finals thanks to a 3-1 victory at Castelao against Sao Paulo after the opening leg of that quarter-final ended in a 2-2 draw.
Since new boss Marquinhos Santos has come in, Ceara has recorded consecutive clean sheets. In his first match in charge, they took advantage when Fortaleza was reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute in a 1-0 victory.
Even though Marquinhos Santos has tried to play a more attack-minded style, his players have failed to create enough overloads to isolate their wing-backs in 1v1 situations and have produced two 0-0 draws.
Fortaleza vs Ceara Head to Head
Both sides have 73 games against each other with hosts taking 21 wins while visitors with 30 wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Fortaleza 1-0 America Mineiro
- Avai 3-2 Fortaleza
- Fortaleza 0-0 Paranaense
- Fortalez 1-0 Goias
Away
- Cuiaba 0-0 Ceara
- Ceara 0-0 Mineiro
- Goias 1-1 Ceara
- Mineiro 0-2 Ceara
Fortaleza Team News
Former Corinthians midfielder Silvio Romero scored twice and Moises once for Fortaleza in their last three matches. The 30-year-old midfielder also had their only strike on Sunday in their 1-0 win over America Mineiro, moving them out of the Brasileiro Serie A basement.
Ceara Team News
Ceara midfielder Vina has three goals in the Copa Libertadores, one fewer than Edu of Cruzeiro for first place. Ceara goalkeeper Joao Ricardo has yet to concede in their four matches, while Vinicius Machado has collected a clean sheet in their last two domestic encounters.
Prediction and Odds
Neither Fortaleza nor Ceara were tested in the earlier rounds of this competition, but Fortaleza has been better in the final third recently. In contrast, Ceara has not been as aggressive or potent lately, given its style of play.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
