Saturday, May 24, 2025 – 22:30 (GMT)

The match here is a meeting of two great Rio de Janeiro rivals, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama. Both sides will be desperate for the points in this edition of the Clássico dos Gigantes, one of the most historic derbies in Brazilian football.

The last time these two teams met was back in February in the Campeonato Carioca. Coutinho opened the scoring for Vasco, but Fluminense responded through Thiago Silva and Germán Cano, turning the tie around to claim a 2-1 victory.

As always, form can go out the window in a derby, expect passion, intensity and a fiercely contested battle.

Fluminense

It’s been a fairly mixed week for Fluminense. Last weekend in the Brasileirão, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Juventude. Emerson Batalla opened the scoring for Juventude early in the second half, but Hércules responded with his first goal for Fluminense to earn a point.

Then in midweek, Fluminense were much more convincing as they wrapped up their Copa do Brasil tie with a dominant 4-1 victory over Aparecidense, completing a 5-1 aggregate win after a narrow 1-0 result in the first leg.

Fluminense will now be hoping to carry that momentum into this derby clash as they prepare for another intense edition of the Clássico dos Gigantes.

Vasco da Gama
After going nine matches without a win, a run that included four straight defeats, Vasco da Gama finally picked up a much-needed victory last time out, delivering a dominant 3-0 win over Fortaleza. Nuno Moreira opened the scoring inside three minutes, before Pablo Vegetti added a brace to seal an emphatic result.

Both Coutinho (Vasco) and Marinho (Fortaleza) were shown red cards in a heated encounter, but the dismissals didn’t overshadow what was a confident and commanding performance from Vasco.

Then, in midweek, Vasco had to dig deep in the Copa do Brasil, surviving a scare and advancing via a penalty shootout against Operário after a tense match.

They’ll now be hoping to build on this momentum as they head into an exciting Clássico dos Gigantes against fierce rivals Fluminense.

Prediction – Fluminense 1-2 Vasco