Fortaleza EC vs Estudiantes Merida Prediction: Fortaleza to Win in Clean Sheets

In the upcoming Copa Sudamericana Matchday 3, Fortaleza EC will face Estudiantes Merida at the Arena Castelão in Fortaleza. With Fortaleza playing at home and leading the table with two wins in two matches, the upcoming matchup is likely to be one-sided. Estudiantes Merida, on the other hand, stands at the bottom of the points table with a -2 goal difference and 0 points. The visitors will be desperate to secure a win and three points in the upcoming matchday. Fortaleza and Estudiantes Merida will play against each other for the very first time; therefore, the head-to-head stats couldn't be discussed. Continue reading to find out more about the matchup.

After upsetting Fluminense (4-2) in the last home game, Fortaleza EC will be looking forward to striking another win in the Arena Castelão. With four consecutive wins and a draw in the recent five matches played, Fortaleza is shaping up quite well for the contest. With the next round qualification at stake, Fortaleza is likely to come out strong with an unchanged lineup. In the last outing of Sudamericana, Fortaleza kept its mantle cool and registered a convincing win against San Lorenzo. Giulhemre Augusto scored the legit goal in the 92nd minute of play. With the likes of Pochettino, Vierira, Titi, and Britez in the lineup, Fortaleza will be looking to stick to the basics and focus on winning. When playing at home, Fortaleza has drawn and won a fixture in the last two home matches. Talking about the overall scoring, Fortaleza has scored 12 goals in the last five matches, averaging 2.40 goals per game. Hence, the hosts are likely to dominate and emphasize on winning in clean sheets.

Fernando Miguel; Tinga, Marcelo Benevenuto (Brítez), Titi, and Bruno Pacheco (Lucas Esteves); Moses, Zé Welison (Caius Alexandre), Hercules, and Caleb; Romero and Thiago Galhardo.

Going in the matchup, Estudiantes Merida is coming off four back-to-back defeats across all competitions. In the last match against Portuguesa (0-1), the home side couldn’t utilize the home advantage. Against Palestino, Estudiantes fell short of scoring an equalizer. In the last three matches, the losing difference was a goal. Hence, in the upcoming fixture, Estudiantes Merida might struggle to maintain the goal-scoring average. With the likes of Bruno Barticciotto, Maicol Leon, and Gonzalo Collao in the lineup, Estudiantes will be looking to maximize changes in the second half of play. Moreover, Carlos Agustin Farias will be missing out due to the red card suspension in the last outing of Sudamericana. With just four goals scored in the last five matches, Estudiantes averages 0.80 goals per game. However, Estudiantes hasn’t scored a goal so far in the continental tournament.

Velasquez; Edison Joseph, Anthony Matos, and Doldan; Guaramato, Rodriguez, Flowers, Rock, and Jesus Gomez; Sands and Zorilla.

In the upcoming matchup, Fortaleza is expected to stay unbeaten and register another smooth win in the tournament. With Vieira, Alexandre, and Pacheco in the starting lineup,, Fortaleza is likely to score at least a goal in the first half of play. I am predicting a clean sheet win for Fortaleza 2-0 or 3-0.

• Total Under 3.5 for 1.84
• Correct Score 3-0 for 5.5
• Bruno Pacheco To Score A Goal At Any Time - Yes for 6