Santa Cruz vs Flamengo Arcoverde – Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips 17/01/2024

Find out what the match between Santa Cruz and Flamengo Arcoverde will be like in the 2nd round of the Pernambucano Championship on January 17th, Wednesday, at 7pm, at Estádio do Arruda, in Recife, Pernambuco.

Santa Cruz

In the Pernambucano Championship scenario, Santa Cruz entered the competition with a remarkable performance, achieving a 2-0 victory over Maguary, in a game that marked the club’s long-awaited return to the iconic Arruda stadium, after a hiatus of almost six months.

This auspicious triumph lifted Santa Cruz to 2nd place in the league table, only behind Retrô, due to the difference in goal difference.

From the opening whistle, Santa Cruz outlined its intention to dominate the actions on the field. The team opened the scoring early, with a goal scored by Thiaguinho. Not long later, Pedro Bortoluzo increased the advantage, consolidating Santa Cruz’s supremacy in the first half of the match.

On the other hand, Santa Cruz’s defense proved impenetrable and cohesive, nullifying all Maguary’s attempts to advance and maintaining control of the actions.

Despite having less possession of the ball (44%) than Maguary, Santa Cruz showed efficiency and determination, with 351 accurate passes (79%) and 9 shots, 5 of which were on target, highlighting their efficiency in attack.

Itamar Schulle, coach of Santa Cruz, faces uncertainty due to changes in the opposing team. Santa Cruz seeks an excellent campaign in the Pernambucano Championship to participate in the Copa do Brasil and Série D in 2025. Despite its successful history, the club adopts a unique approach in this edition, with a 4-2-3-1 tactical formation.

Flamengo de Arcoverde

Flamengo de Arcoverde faced significant challenges due to its accelerated preparation and lack of a structured pre-season, following its promotion to the state elite due to Salgueiro’s withdrawal.

Due to its hasty preparation and the lack of solid foundations during the pre-season, Flamengo de Arcoverde faced a strong opponent in its debut in the competition, suffering a 2-0 defeat against Náutico.

This setback relegated Flamengo de Arcoverde to 7th place in the Pernambucano Championship table, a challenging start for a team that reached the highest level of state football.

In that game, Flamengo de Arcoverde adopted an aggressive defense, but faced difficulties in containing Náutico, who is known for their offensive style, resulting in goals from Kauan Santos and Ray Vanegas.

Despite the defensive problems, Flamengo de Arcoverde had a limited offensive performance, with just 41% ball possession, 316 passes and 80% accuracy. The team had difficulty creating scoring opportunities, with only 2 shots in the match.

Toninho Pesso, former Itumbiara-GO coach, recently took charge of Flamengo Arcoverde and faced the challenge of hastily putting together a team for the State Championship. Most of the players are from the club’s youth team, but the squad also has the experience of players such as Cal Rodrigues, ex-Náutico and Treze, and Wellington, ex-Nacional-PB. The team will adopt a 4-4-2 tactical formation.

Conclusion:

In this scenario, everything points to a victory for Santa Cruz due to its promising performance and the pressure to achieve goals in the competition. The team showed quality and determination in their last game, which could lead to success in this duel as well.