Looking to rebound from a five-game winless streak, Bahia are set to host title hopefuls Palmeiras at the Arena Fonte Nova in the Brasileiro on Wednesday.
The hosts are eighth in the league table with 46 points from 33 matches, while the visitors are in second place with 64 points, trailing top of the standings by four points.
Match preview
© Imago
Since earning promotion to the Brasileiro Serie A with a third-place finish in Serie B in 2022, Bahia have endured two markedly different campaigns in the top flight.
They narrowly avoided relegation in their first year back in the Serie A last campaign, placing 16th in the table with 44 points, just one point above the drop zone.
This season, however, Bahia find themselves battling for a place in the Copa Libertadores as they come into this game sitting eighth in the table, just a point behind seventh-placed Cruzeiro in the Copa Libertadores qualification place.
Despite the huge improvement upon last year's relegation battle, Rogerio Ceni, in charge since September 2023, will be disappointed with his team's recent form, having failed to win any of their last five.
Enduring four defeats and a draw in their last five games, Bahia face mounting pressure with only five matches remaining to climb into the Copa Libertadores spots, leaving Ceni's side in desperate need of wins.
Palmeiras will be a difficult challenge for the hosts, however, with the visitors heading into this game sitting second in the table and hunting for their third consecutive league title.
Abel Ferreira, who has been in charge since November 2020, has guided the team to the Brasileiro Serie A title in both 2022 and 2023, but his side trail top of the league Botafogo by four points with just five games remaining.
After falling to defeat against Corinthians, their first loss since August, Palmeiras quickly rebounded with a win against Gremio last time out, and Ferreira will be looking for his side to build upon that win here.
Palmeiras have been dominant in this fixture in recent years, only suffering one loss in the last 18 meetings across all competitions, recording nine wins and eight draws in that time.
Team News
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The hosts will be without the services of Gabriel Teixeira, Iago and Rezende for this game due to ongoing injury issues, while Kanu is also unavailable due to suspension.
Bahia are coming into this game having failed to triumph in any of their last five outings, meaning Ceni could name a number of changes here, although top scorer Everaldo is likely to keep his place in the team.
The visitors will be unable to call upon Lazaro, Joaquin Piquerez and Bruno Rodrigues due to ongoing injury issues, although all three could return later this month.
Richard Rios, Mayke and star player Estevao will all also miss out due to suspension, but the rest of the side from their previous win against Gremio could start here.
Bahia possible starting lineup:
Felipe; Arias, Duarte, Kanu, Juba; De Pena, Acevedo, Thaciano; Everaldo, Rodriguez, Cauly
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Rocha, Gomez, Murilo, Paulista; Veiga, Moreno; Rony, Mauricio, Anderson; Lopez
We say: Bahia 1-2 Palmeiras
With the hosts winless in their last five matches, including four losses, and the visitors determined to close the gap on league leaders Botafogo, we predict a Palmeiras victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
