Bahia and Juazeirense face each other for the leadership of the state

Teams face each other at the Adauto Moraes stadium, in Juazeiro

Motivated after the 4-0 defeat of Moto Club, and consequently qualification for the second phase of the Copa do Brasil, Bahia is now looking to recover in the Bahia Championship. This Sunday (25), the tricolor faces Juazeirense, at 4pm, at the Adauto Moraes stadium, in Juazeiro, in a duel that is worth the leadership of the state.

The two clubs are glued together in the league table. Cancão de Fogo is the current vice-leader, with 14 points gained, while the tricolor appears in third place, with 13. Whoever wins the clash will overtake Barcelona de Ilhéus, who leads with 16 points and has already played in the round (they won the Bahia de Feira 1×0, in the middle of the week). In the case of Esquadrão, the triumph would leave the team with the same score as Barça, but the capital club would have an advantage on goal difference – today the difference is 12 against 3.

Bahia, in fact, could have been in a more comfortable situation in the state, but the 3-2 defeat in the classic against Vitória made the team lose its lead in the competition and, as a bonus, messed up the fight for one of the four places in the semi-final. With the same 13 points as Tricolor, Leão closes the G4, while Jequié occupies fifth place. The interior team has one more game.

“Our focus is to continue, the work is being done well. We know that [a Juazeirense] It’s a good team, a difficult field, but we’re going to do our best and seek victory”, said midfielder Thaciano, confidently.

Already a common practice this season, coach Rogério will change the starting lineup. Right away, the tricolor has two certain absences. Midfielders Jean Lucas and Rezende were sent off at Ba-Vi and will serve an automatic suspension. The tendency is for Yago Felipe to take Jean’s place in midfield.

Rogério will also promote Adriel’s return to goal. The coach has been rotating the sector and guaranteed that the young goalkeeper will play all matches in the Campeonato Baiano. It won’t be a surprise if the commander changes other positions. Names like Everton Ribeiro and Cauly can be spared.

Center forward Oscar Estupiñán, who debuted against Moto Club and found the net with a penalty kick, should return to the bench. Among the possibilities, the coach can opt for Everaldo to keep the team with a reference in attack, or bet on more mobile players. In this case, Thaciano would return to the role of false 9. Rafael Ratão is also one of the alternatives.

Another mystery is on the left side. With Ryan injured, the team only has Luciano Juba for the sector. Therefore, Ceni confirmed that he will list the boy Caio Roque, who played just two games this season, both with the alternative team, at the beginning of the state championship. The coach also does not rule out improvising right-back Cicinho on the opposite side. The player was used in the role in the second half of the match against América-RN, for the Copa do Nordeste, when the tricolor won 3×0, last week.

“Caio played twice and is recovering from injury. He is a player who should be listed for the next game. He has been training. We’ve been trying to improve the physical part, because he was out of action for a long time. We always observe. If he shows it in training, he will definitely get minutes. I think Cicinho is ahead. Caio needs to gain physical conditioning to also have opportunities”, explained Ceni.

Juazeirense will also have changes compared to the last game. Betting their chips on the Campeonato Baiano – which guarantees places in the Copa do Brasil and Copa do Nordeste next year -, Cancão has been fielding an alternative team in Nordestão. It was like that in the 2-0 victory over Vitória, at home, and in the 2-1 defeat to Maranhão, in São Luís.