Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
On June 13, 2025, at the Barradão Stadium in Salvador, the 12th round of Brazil's Serie A will see Vitoria take on Cruzeiro. Here’s my take on a goals-focused bet for this clash.
Preview
After 11 rounds, the teams sit at opposite ends of the league table. Cruzeiro are riding high in second place, just one point behind leaders Flamengo. Leonardo Jardim’s men had a rocky start to the season, losing twice in their first five outings, but quickly found their rhythm. Since then, they’ve put together an impressive unbeaten run in the league: five wins and a draw — a convincing display of the squad’s stability and maturity.
However, things haven’t gone as smoothly for the "Foxes" on the continental stage. In the Copa Sudamericana — South America’s answer to the Europa League — Cruzeiro failed to advance from their group, losing out to Ecuador’s Mushuc Runa and Chile’s Palestino. This unexpected setback was a blow to the club’s ambitions, but it does allow the team to focus entirely on the Brazilian title race.
Vitoria, meanwhile, are in 16th place, teetering on the edge of the relegation zone. They’re level on points with 17th-placed Fortaleza but hold a slight edge thanks to a better goal difference.
It’s been a rough start for the hosts — just one win in the opening five rounds. Unlike Cruzeiro, Vitoria haven’t managed to turn things around: in their subsequent matches, they suffered three defeats, drew twice, and picked up just one more victory.
Their continental journey was similarly disappointing. Like Cruzeiro, Vitoria took part in the Copa Sudamericana but finished third in their group, losing out on a playoff spot to Ecuador’s Universidad Catolica (Quito) and Uruguay’s Cerro Largo, bringing their international campaign to an early end.
Heading into this head-to-head, the teams are in completely different emotional and competitive states. Cruzeiro are showing maturity, stability, and domestic ambition, compensating for continental disappointment with solid league form. Vitoria, on the other hand, are still fighting for survival and show few signs of breaking out of their prolonged slump. Given their current form, motivation, and level of play, Leonardo Jardim’s Cruzeiro are deservedly considered favorites.
Probable line-ups
- Vitoria: Arcanjo, Edu, Halter, Ze Marcos, Claudinho, Baralhas, Ronald Lopes, Jamerson, Renato Kayzer, Janderson, Lucas Braga
- Cruzeiro: Cassio, William, Fabricio Bruno, Jonathan, Kaiki, Romero L., Lucas Silva, Cristian, Matheus Pereira, Wanderson, Kaio Jorge
Match facts and H2H
- Vitoria only managed to break their three-game losing streak in their last match, grinding out a goalless draw away to Corinthians.
- During that stretch, the team scored just once.
- Cruzeiro, by contrast, are on a brilliant unbeaten run — 11 matches, with eight wins and three draws.
- The last four head-to-heads have all seen the "over 2.5 goals" bet land.
- The most recent meeting at Vitoria’s ground ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw.
Prediction
Given Cruzeiro’s current form and Vitoria’s league position — plus the history between these two — we can expect an open, action-packed encounter. Vitoria desperately need a way out of their crisis and will be forced to attack more. Cruzeiro, in top form, are more than capable of exploiting their opponent’s weaknesses. Our recommended bet for this match: total goals over 2.0 at odds of 1.81.
