Vasco da Gama RJ

vs

Santos FC Sao Paulo

Tips, Stats and Odds

Vasco da Gama sit 18th in Serie A 2026 with 22 points from 21 games, one place behind Santos who occupy 17th. Both clubs have had very similar seasons with very little to recommend them, but the home side are in the better form and arrive at São Januário on Sunday for a potential confidence-boosting victory.

The hosts have not lost in their last five games with three draws and two wins, while the visitors have two wins, two draws and a defeat from their previous five. Vasco's last three results have been a 0-0 draw at home to Fluminense, a 1-3 win away to the same opponents and a 0-0 draw at Bahia in Serie A 2026.

Santos have also played five games lately, but their form is more erratic with a 0-0 home draw against Remo, a 0-1 win at Remo and a 0-2 home loss to Athletico Paranaense in Serie A 2026. The head-to-head is tied at 1-1 in the last two meetings, with Santos winning the last fixture 2-1 at home in Serie A 2026.

Brenner da Silva is the sharpest edge Vasco have in the kitchen right now and has scored two of their five goals in the last five. The rest of the team have kept it simple and compact, with Pedro Emanuel playing them in a balanced system, but it is more direct and vertical than the old, more possession based approach.

Cuca has returned Santos to something of a pragmatic 4-2-3-1 system, with structure and solidity first and then individual talent to spring forwards when space opens up. There is some quality in there and they can trouble Vasco, who are the clear favorites at 1.9 compared to Santos at 3.95 and the draw at 3.4.

Vasco would like to control the transitions here, but Santos will look to spring forward, but probably won't over commit. These two have little to offer the neutral spectator and it looks like a game of chess for the three points rather than a shootout.

Backing the hosts to just about nick it seems a good fit, but the form and the fixture suggest a close, scrappy affair rather than a shootout.