Cruzeiro and Bahia will meet on Thursday at 21:30 Brasília time at Mineirão in Belo Horizonte in the 34th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, with the match set for Prime Video and live updates on ge Tempo Real. It is the kind of game that can reshape the table quickly: Cruzeiro starts the night in third place with 57 points and can stretch its lead over Bahia to seven.
The timing is why this search is spiking now. Cruzeiro arrives on three straight wins, including its latest result against Atlético-MG at Arena MRV, while Bahia is coming off a win over São Paulo and still needs points to keep its Libertadores pursuit alive. That also gives the match a sharper edge because Bahia has six defeats in ten games against teams from the G-6, a 33% return that underlines how much harder these matches have been for it.
For Cruzeiro, the list of absences is heavy. João Marcelo is injured, and William, Villalba and Matheus Pereira are suspended, which forces changes in a lineup that is expected to include Otávio, Fagner, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan Jesus, Viña or Rojas, Lucas Romero, Zé Lucas, Gerson, Bruno Rodrigues, Arroyo and Kaio Jorge. Bahia also has a notable adjustment to make, with Kanu back after suspension, while Marco Moreno stayed in Salvador because of food poisoning.
Rogério Ceni left the door open for Everton Ribeiro to return to the starting eleven, but he is still expected to begin on the bench again. That leaves Bahia with one more layer of uncertainty, especially with Willian José missing the related players list for a second straight match after the criticism he drew over a video about the Northeast. Bahia’s probable lineup points to Ronaldo; Marcos Victor, David Duarte and Kanu; Luciano Juba, Acevedo, Jean Lucas, Rodrigo Nestor, Erick Pulga, Kike Olivera and Alejo.
Rafael Rodrigo Klein will referee the match, with Bruno Boschilia and Gizeli Casaril as assistants, Wagner Reway on VAR and Gustavo Ervino Bauermann as fourth official. For Bahia, the harder question is whether a strong performance can turn into a result in Belo Horizonte after 13 years without a win there. For Cruzeiro, the task is simpler and heavier at once: protect third place, keep the run going and make the gap real before the round ends.
