Cruzeiro welcome Bahia to the Mineirão on 6 November 2026 in a Round 34 Brasileirão match with real stakes at both ends of the table. Sitting third with 57 points from 33 games, the hosts need a strong finish to lock up automatic Libertadores qualification, while sixth placed Bahia, on 53 points, are chasing a Copa Sudamericana berth or better. A Cruzeiro win tightens their hold on the podium, a Bahia win reopens the top six race.
Leonardo Jardim is relatively new to Cruzeiro, having replaced Fernando Diniz, whereas Rogério Ceni has been at Bahia since September 2023 and has logged more than 200 matches - meaning the visitors know exactly who they are and direct records between the two coaches remain too thin to read much into.
Cruzeiro arrive in good shape, having won four of their last five league outings. Victories over Atlético MG, Remo, Grêmio and São Paulo sit alongside one defeat to RB Bragantino, keeping clean sheets in three of those four victories. Bahia's recent run is messier: two wins, a draw and two losses, with heavy beatings from Flamengo and Palmeiras sitting awkwardly next to wins over São Paulo and Mirassol.
Cruzeiro are without three key figures, with William and Matheus Pereira both suspended after collecting third yellow cards, gutting the team's midfield creativity, while João Marcelo misses out with a knee injury, leaving Jardim to reshuffle across the board. Bahia are without Léo Vieira, out with torn knee ligaments that deprive them of goalkeeping cover, though Ceni otherwise has a full squad to pick from.
Cruzeiro's midfield loses considerable quality without Matheus Pereira and William and the burden falls squarely on Kaio Jorge, who has 12 goals this season and whose movement in behind a defence that can struggle with pace may compensate for some of what is missing. Bahia tend to sit compact in a 5-3-2 or 4-3-3 and hit on the counter, with Luciano Juba in the channels, Erick Pulga on the left and Alejo Véliz as the hold up man up top. Without Matheus Pereira to receive between the lines and William to circulate from deep, Cruzeiro will find it harder to progress through midfield, leaning more heavily on set pieces, which have been a consistent source of goals this season. Bahia will look to use Juba's overlapping runs and Véliz's link play to drag Cruzeiro's reshuffled midfield wide and exploit the space in behind.
Cruzeiro have the better of recent meetings, winning three of the last five, with the most recent encounter ending 2-1 to Cruzeiro in May 2026 and the Mineirão has generally been a difficult ground for Bahia.
Cruzeiro have gone four league matches at the Mineirão without defeat and Bahia's away form is inconsistent enough to make this a hostile trip. Dead balls matter for both sides: Bahia have scored from set pieces at important moments this season, while Cruzeiro's physicality in the box adds another dimension.
Cruzeiro 2-1 Bahia. Despite losing Matheus Pereira and William, Cruzeiro's depth at home and Kaio Jorge's 12 goals this season make them the likelier side to find a winner, whether through his movement in behind or a clinical touch from a set piece delivery. Juba and Véliz will cause Cruzeiro's reshuffled midfield problems on the break and Bahia have already shown they can score from dead balls but their inconsistent away form and a depleted goalkeeping bench leave little margin for error. A late Bahia goal makes it nervy but Cruzeiro get there.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
