Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the 12th round of the Brazilian Championship will take place on Friday at the Castelão Arena, where the local Fortaleza hosts Santos. I suggest betting on goals in this clash, with an attractive odds offer.
Match preview
After a historic 2024 season in which the "Lions" set a club record for points, 2025 has turned into a real challenge. Participation in the Copa Libertadores, where the team advanced to the playoffs from second place in their group, has negatively affected their league performances. In Serie A, Fortaleza have already lost three matches in a row, and the 0-5 thrashing by Flamengo only deepened their crisis.
The team now sits in 17th place, trailing Vitória in the safe zone only on goal difference. A home match against a direct rival is not just a chance, but a necessity to end their losing streak. The attack is clearly misfiring: not a single goal scored in the last three rounds, so the focus will be on a more reliable defensive display.
"Peixe" returned to the top flight from Serie B, but quickly encountered a new reality and much tougher competition. Just one win in their last ten official matches is a worrying sign for the eight-time Brazilian champions. In the previous round, Santos desperately defended against Botafogo after being reduced to ten men, but conceded in the 86th minute and once again came away empty-handed.
The team sits 18th and their away form is poor — five defeats in six matches. The attack has been toothless: Santos have scored just one goal in their last 540 minutes of play. The meeting with Fortaleza is starting to look more like a fight for survival than a spectacular Brazilian derby.
Probable line-ups
- Fortaleza: João Ricardo – Tinga, Kuscevic, Guilherme Teixeira, Mancuso – Zé Welison, Emanuel Martínez, Pochettino – Marinho, Deyverson, Luciano Prior
- Santos: Gabriel Brazão – Sousa, João Basso, Zé Ivaldo, Gustavo Escobar – Tomás Rincón, Zé Rafael – Alan Barreiro, Benjamin Rollheiser, Guilherme – Neymar
Match facts and head-to-head
- In Santos' last six official matches, the "both teams to score – no" bet has won
- For Fortaleza, the same outcome occurred in eight out of eleven Serie A games
- Both teams have scored only one goal each in their last six official matches
Prediction
In this clash between two struggling sides, a single mistake will decide everything. Both Fortaleza and Santos will play as cautiously as possible, banking on a clean sheet. Our prediction for the match: "Total under 2.0" with odds of 2.03.
