Exciting Showdowns Await as Brazil Cup Quarterfinals Draws Near

The Copa do Brasil dispute enters one of its most intense phases, the quarter-finals, starting next day 28. And the draw of the matches and venues for the competition, held this Tuesday, already allows for projections of the confrontations.

Athletico, Flamengo, Atlético-MG, and Corinthians will play their matches at home against Vasco, Bahia, São Paulo, and Juventude, respectively.

The first leg matches of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals will take place next week. The second leg matches will take place during the week of September 12.

See GLOBO’s analysis and projections for the matches:

Champion of 2011, Vasco returns to the quarter-finals after nine years and is boosted by the good work of Rafael Paiva, under whom they eliminated Fortaleza and Atlético-GO, demonstrating strength in decisive moments at São Januário — where they have lost only once this season. However, they face an opponent with a recent history of success in the competition: the Paraná team, holder of the 2019 title, also made it to the final in 2021 against Atlético-MG. On the way to the quarter-finals, Furacão eliminated Ypiranga and Bragantino.

The current form and the home advantage are highly influential factors in this matchup. Athletico will decide in the Arena da Baixada, where they have historically been strong. However, in Martín Varini’s first month of work, they have stumbled there. Vasco, who has already lost in Curitiba in the Brasileirão, needs to secure a good result at home and correct defensive issues, such as goals conceded at the end, to avoid a problematic scenario.

GLOBO’s Projection: Athletico is slightly favored.

Atlético-MG x São Paulo

The clash between Atlético-MG and São Paulo is the main attraction of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, as it involves two heavyweight teams at this stage. The São Paulo team is the current champion of the tournament, having won it for the first time last season, while the Minas Gerais team is a two-time champion (2014 and 2021). Moreover, both teams have strong investments and are in a triple fight — both are still alive in the Libertadores.

Since they are having median campaigns in the Brasileirão — São Paulo is in 6th place with 38 points, while Atlético-MG is 8th with 30 — and are not emerging as title contenders, the teams of Gabriel Milito and Luis Zubeldia see the Copa do Brasil as their best chance for a national trophy at this moment. A match that appears to be completely balanced will also be attractive due to the confrontation between two Argentine coaches who have made positive impacts since their arrivals but need to prove themselves with a great campaign.

GLOBO’s Projection: There is no favorite.

Those who think that the confrontation will be totally favorable to the São Paulo team are mistaken. This season, despite the recent change in command – from Roger Machado to Jair Ventura – Juventude has been a significant thorn in the side of top teams in Brazilian football. In the Copa do Brasil, they eliminated giants such as Fluminense and Internacional, and in the Brasileirão they beat Flamengo and Botafogo, for example. On the other hand, Corinthians is not having a good season, but has shown some improvement since the arrival of Ramon Diáz and is already looking at an upward trend. In other words, balance is likely to manifest in this matchup.

As the home team in the first leg, Juventude can try to leverage the home advantage at Alfredo Jaconi to gain an important lead, just as they did against Fluminense in the last round of the Copa. Meanwhile, Corinthians will have the chance to decide on classification at Neo Química Arena, in front of their fans, in an environment that is normally hostile for visitors — especially in Cup matches.

GLOBO’s Projection: Corinthians is slightly favored.

There is an expectation that Bahia and Flamengo will have a high-level confrontation. Despite the team’s poor form under the command of Tite, the talent of the rubro-negro squad is undeniable, and they will face one of the strongest and most consistent teams in Brazilian football at this stage of the season. In the only match between the clubs, in the first round of the Brasileirão, the Cariocas won in the last minute after facing a series of difficulties imposed by Rogério Ceni’s team.

With a week until the first leg and three weeks until the second leg, it is practically impossible to pin down a favorite, even with Flamengo’s advantage of playing the match at Maracanã. After all, on the other hand, the good moment of Bahia contrasts sharply with the poor form of Flamengo. Nevertheless, with a squad full of players accustomed to overcoming adversities and winning titles, the rubro-negro possesses the experience that might be lacking for the tricolores.

GLOBO’s Projection: Flamengo is slightly favored.