Ponte Preta VS Sampaio Correa

Ponte Preta host Sampaio Correa for this Brazilian Serie B round 14 clash at Estádio Moisés Lucarelli in Campinas Friday morning Beijing time. This is the second tier of Brazilian football, and amazing football country. This is a clash between two pretty small teams who are definitely not among the favorites in this league, but I expect the match to offer decent entertainment for football fans. Simply by taking a look at the standings this pick might seem weird for some people but as my fans already know I am never fooled by the league table.. In fact, betting on unlucky and/or teams with hidden potential is one of the key things in professional football betting!

The hosts currently occupy the 19th place in this league of 20 teams with 12 points in the bank and have a goal difference of 8:13. There is no denying the fact that especially result-wise, but to some extent also on the pitch the season has been disappointing for Ponte Preta. I’m positive they will climb up the standings as the season progresses as the potential is definitely there. Indeed, last season they finished 11th with 49 points. They have been quite unlucky in many matches this season. In their most recent match, they played pretty well despite the 0-2 loss away from home against a very strong team Cruzeiro. They even recorded more scoring attempts and shots on target than the hosts who top the standings with a clear margin! Cruzeiro were the better team but a draw would not have been unjustified.. Let’s remember that they were massive underdogs according to the betting market in this match. Before this they faced Londrina in a rather eventful, even weird match. They played well taking into account the fact that they (technically) received three red cards! Bernardo was sent off in the 30’ minute and dos Anjos right before half-time. He was not on the pitch though. In the second half Oliveira, too, was sent off. The visitors also received one red card. The hosts would have deserved at least a draw after close to 70% ball possession and recording much more completed passes and dangerous attacks than the visitors. They should be a little more effective in offense but are still the better team by raw class and with the substantial home advantage have a 50% chance of winning here!

The visitors, on the other hand, are often abysmal on the road and Ponte Preta have good fans. Sampaio Correa have not won any of their latest 13 matches away from home and have lost four of the five most recent away games! They finished in the 15th place last season and are a small team by financial resources and players’ total market value, which is just 5.65 million euros according to Transfermarkt.com. They were okay five days ago against Gremio but still lost 0-2. They were once again quite lame offensive in this match and their defense has not looked solid recently either. I expect the hosts to put huge pressure on their defense – looking for a quick opening goal.