Game Information

Saturday 29th March – Kick-off – 21:30 (GMT)

Fortaleza

Fortaleza enjoyed a wonderful season once again under Juan Vojevoda, who helped secure Copa Libertadores with a fourth-place finish in the Brasileirao. This was an improvement on their tenth-place finish in 2023.

On Saturday, they suffered a 2-1 aggregate defeat to rivals Ceara in the Campeonato Cearense and on Wednesday evening they suffered a 1-0 loss against CRB in the Copa do Nordeste, Fortaleza had already secured qualification for the quarter-finals prior to the game, so choose to rest key players.

Leao, will be keen on starting their league season on a positive footnote and desperately need to improve after winning just two/three of their last ten matches.

Veteran defender, David Luiz joined the club from Flamengo on a free transfer along with Gaston Avila Dylan Borrero Brenno, Pol Fernandez and Diogo Barbosa.

Fluminense

After winning the Copa Libertadores in 2023, Fluminense struggled to live up to expectations in 2024, enduring a season to forget. They narrowly avoided relegation by winning their final two matches, preventing the bizarre scenario of competing in the Club World Cup as a second-tier side.

The club has been active in the transfer market, bringing in Ruben Lezcano, Kayky Almeida, Otávio, Everaldo, Agustín Canobbio, Marcelo Pitaluga, Juan Freyte, Hércules, and Joaquín Lavega.

In the Campeonato Carioca, Fluminense reached the final but ultimately fell short against a dominant Flamengo side, losing 2-1 on aggregate over two legs. Their most recent outing was a goalless draw with Flamengo in the second leg of the final.

After last season’s disappointment, they will be hoping to start the new campaign on the front foot.

Expected Lineups

Fortaleza – João Ricardo, Tinga, Brítez, Titi, Bruno Pacheco, Lucas Sasha, Emmanuel Martínez, Pochettino, Pikachu, Moisés, Lucero.

Fluminense – Fábio, Samuel Xavier, Ignacio, Thiago Silva, Fuentes, Bernal, Martinelli, Lima, Arias, Cano, Canobbio.

Prediction

Fortaleza 1 v 0 Fluminense