Santos FC Sao Paulo
- Santos FC Sao Paulo have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 3 of 9 home matches in Serie A 2026.
- With 18 points from 17 games, Santos FC Sao Paulo are 17th in Serie A 2026 and in danger of getting sucked into the relegation zone, while EC Vitoria are 11th with 22 points from 16 fixtures.
- The Peixe bounced back well from their 3-2 Serie A defeat at Gremio by hammering Deportivo Cuenca 3-0 at home in the Copa Sudamericana.
- Cuca’s team have now won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five in all competitions, and they are even more inconsistent at Vila Belmiro, where they have won one, drawn one and lost one of their last three.
- His typical 4-2-3-1 system is organised, solid and difficult to unlock.
- The Peixe are best suited to transitioning quickly from defence to attack and hitting on the break, although Yeferson Soteldo can bring some creativity and pace to the last third while João Paulo provides leadership and quality at the back.
EC Vitoria
- EC Vitoria have won 3, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions.
- EC Vitoria have not won any of their 8 road games in Serie A 2026, drawing 3 and losing 5.
- Vitoria are an honest and hard-working side, who Jair Ventura has moulded into a compact team that presses in the midfield and counters with numbers.
- The Leão do Salvador can have some real go about them when Osvaldo is on song and Matheusinho dictates the play in front of the back four.
- Zé Hugo has also been a spark in recent games, particularly when they have counter-attacked.
- The visitors arrive here looking to extend a two-game winning streak that includes a 2-0 home success against SC Internacional RS in Serie A and a 6-2 mauling of ABC Futebol Clube in the regional cup.
Santos FC Sao Paulo
- The Peixe are best suited to transitioning quickly from defence to attack and hitting on the break, although Yeferson Soteldo can bring some creativity and pace to the last third while João Paulo provides leadership and quality at the back.
- Santos have scored 12 goals in 9 home games in Serie A 2026, which is pretty decent, and their front man Gabriel Barbosa has 4 in their last 5 matches and is always a goal threat.
EC Vitoria
- The Leão do Salvador can have some real go about them when Osvaldo is on song and Matheusinho dictates the play in front of the back four.
- Zé Hugo has also been a spark in recent games, particularly when they have counter-attacked.
Betting Insights
- But the bookmakers are keen on the hosts at 1.85, which seems a bit short to us.
- Both teams to score looks a better bet at 1.88 as we are expecting both teams to find the goal.
- The bookies are pricing up over 2.5 goals at 2.09, which means they expect a wide-open game with plenty of end-to-end action, which could well be the case as Cuca’s transition game comes up against Ventura’s pressing style and solid structure.
Prediction
That will be a chess match in the middle of the field, but we’re backing Santos to edge a goalfest.
