Vitória and Vasco face off in a direct confrontation against the crisis

This Saturday (11), at 6:30 pm, Barradão will host a duel between two teams facing intense pressure in the Brazilian Championship. Vitória and Vasco face each other in the eighth round of the competition, with the mission of leaving the bottom of the table. The Rubro-Negro from Bahia is in 18th place, with six points, while Cruz-Maltino occupies 14th place, with seven. If they win, Vitória will overtake their opponent and could even leave the relegation zone.

Despite the poor form of both teams, the expectation is for a balanced match. The home advantage could be a differentiator for the team led by Thiago Carpini, who is looking to end a five-match winless streak.

Vitória's last victory came on May 16, against Fortaleza. Since then, the team has accumulated three draws and two losses. On Tuesday (6), they drew 1-1 with Defensa y Justicia in the South American, but now they focus all their attention on the Brasileirão.

For the match against Vasco, coach Thiago Carpini will not have Zé Marcos, Willian Oliveira and Pepê, all injured. On the other hand, Carlos Eduardo and Baralhas could reinforce the squad. The big news could be the debut of Renato Kayzer, a forward discovered by Vasco himself and recently arrived at the Bahian club.

CRUZMALTINO CRISIS AND DINIZ'S DELAYED DEBUT

Vasco is going through an even more difficult time. The team has not won in seven matches and is coming off a 4-1 defeat to Puerto Cabello from Venezuela in the South American. Coach Fernando Diniz was hired to try to turn things around, but will only officially take over on Sunday (11).

Felipe Loureiro will remain in interim command and will bid farewell to Barradão. The team will have to make some forced changes: Paulo Henrique, who is suspended, will be replaced by Puma. The defense will continue to be short-handed, without Lucas Freitas and Maurício Lemos, which should keep Luiz Gustavo in the starting lineup. Frenchman Dimitri Payet will continue to be out and will miss his seventh consecutive game due to injury.

The team is likely to return to a three-attacker formation, with Nuno Moreira among the starters. He was spared in the last game, only coming on in the second half and is available for the match.