In crisis, Bahia faces Athletico-PR at Fonte Nova and tries to end a six-game streak in Series A

In crisis in Series A, Bahia will have another chance to shake off their bad phase. This Sunday (24), the Squadron hosts Athletico-PR, at 4pm, at Fonte Nova, for the 35th round of the Brazilian Championship.

The team arrives at the duel under great pressure. There are six games without winning, with four defeats in a row, three of them at home. It is the worst moment under the command of Rogério Ceni, who took over the team last year.

The poor performance has caused friction between the cast and fans. Against Palmeiras, the players left the field to boos after being beaten 2-1. Furthermore, Bahia tries not to get complicated in the fight for a place in the Copa Libertadores da América. With the opening of new vacancies, the tricolor rounds the classification zone, but sees competitors getting closer.

With only four more games left until the end of the Brasileirão, defender Kanu still trusts in a recovery and says that the athletes cannot throw away the good campaign that the club achieved during the first round.

“Pressure is natural, we need to face it very well, in football everyone has been through this. We understand the fans who are upset, but what we have to do at this moment is say little and show it in practice. We had two training sessions after the game against Palmeiras and our conversation is that we need to improve”, said the defender.

With three days of preparation since the last appointment, Rogério Ceni has not confirmed the starting lineup, but will make at least one change. Kanu himself is back after serving a suspension for his third yellow card. He will form a defensive duo with Gabriel Xavier.

Already in goal, Ceni left doubt in the air. In a bad phase, Marcos Felipe was excluded from the last round and Adriel took the starting spot against Palmeiras. The coach said he would evaluate Marcos’ return during the week.

Looking for something to hold on to, the Bahian team has a good record against Athletico-PR in its favor. This year, the club beat the red and black team in the first round of the Brasileirão 3-1, at the Ligga Arena. Furacão is experiencing a recovery in Series A, but is still fighting against relegation. Despite the scenario, Kanu understands that it will be a complicated game and asks for attention.

“No way [a luta do Athletico-PR contra o rebaixamento torna o jogo mais fácil]. Let’s go with an open mind and focused to win. As I said, we need to continue as we did against Palmeiras, connected and minimizing mistakes. We had a good first round, this team here had a great championship and we can’t throw it all away now. We have a goal, the club hasn’t been to the Libertadores for 35 years and we need to live that up next season. On Sunday we want to see our house full, we want to bring this triumph to our fans and return to our path of success”, added the defender.

While Bahia tries to find its way back to winning ways, Athletico is looking for victory to stay further away from the risk of relegation. Coach Lucho will be forced to change the team, as defender Thiago Heleno is suspended. Gamarra should take the vacancy.

On the other hand, striker Pablo, who was suspended against Atlético-GO, is back in the team. He will replace Argentine Di Yorio.