Saturday, May 17, 2025 – 22:30 (GMT)

Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama are going through a terrible spell at the moment. Fernando Diniz has taken charge, but he hasn’t managed to turn things around just yet. They are without a win in their last four matches, and the past week has been especially tough.

First, they hosted Vitória in the league. A red card to Matheuzinho in the 33rd minute seemed to hand Vasco a massive advantage, and they capitalised just nine minutes later when Pablo Vegetti gave them a 1-0 lead heading into the break. But the second half was a disaster. Despite being down to ten men, Vitória fought back with two goals from Renzato Keyzer, turning the game on its head and securing an unlikely 2-1 victory. A crushing result for Vasco.

Then in midweek, things didn’t improve. Vasco travelled to Argentina to face Lanús in the Copa Sudamericana and suffered a 1-0 defeat. Romiro Carrera scored the winner in the second half, and Vasco’s night went from bad to worse when Hugo Moura was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

Vasco still have a slim chance of qualifying for the knockout stages in the Sudamericana, but right now the focus turns to the Brasileirão, where they’ll need to dig deep and respond at home against an in-form Fortaleza side.

Fortaleza
Fortaleza are unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions, though they’ll be hoping to start turning more of those draws into wins, having picked up just two victories during that run.

One of those wins came at the weekend in emphatic fashion, as they thrashed Juventude 5-0. The match was played at the Estádio Presidente Vargas rather than their usual home, the Castelão, but that didn’t stop Fortaleza from putting on a show. Juan Lucero opened the scoring inside four minutes to get them off to a flying start. The second half saw goals from Bruno Lopes, Tomás Pochettino, Lucero again, and Calebe who rounded off a dominant display for the northeastern club.

In midweek, Fortaleza played Colombian side Bucaramanga in the Copa Libertadores, with the match ending 0-0. Despite having the better of the chances — 15 shots in total — they managed just two on target, something they’ll be looking to improve in this fixture.

Fortaleza’s fate in the Libertadores will be decided on the final matchday, with Fortaleza set to face Racing Club, who have already qualified, and Bucaramanga going up against Colo-Colo.

Prediction – Vasco 1-2 Fortaleza