Santa Cruz v Caxias — prediction, stats and goal analysis

Serie C · Saturday, 22 August 2026 · 23:30. Our rating makes this 27% to go over 2.5 goals, so our lean is under. The Serie C average is 35%.

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Our ratings for this match

MarketYesNoOur call
Over 2.5 goals27%73%Under
Over 3.5 goals10%90%no pick
Both teams to score43%57%No

The result model puts Santa Cruz at 33%, the draw at 37% and Caxias at 30%, from expected goals of 0.75 and 0.71.

How we got this number

The league sets the starting point. Serie C has produced over 2.5 goals in 35% of its matches, and that is where a team with no record of its own would sit.

Each side's own record. Santa Cruz have 4 in 17 this season (0 of 8 at home), Caxias 6 in 17 (2 of 8 away). Those records are pulled toward the league rate with the weight of about 32 matches — enough that two or three unusual games cannot swing a rating — giving 26% and 33%.

The mix. Weighted 40% home side, 40% away side and 20% league — the split that beat every alternative across 30,582 matches of testing — that gives 31%.

Goal expectation. Separately a Poisson model built from attack and defence strength — using real expected-goals data where the league has it — puts this match at 18%, from expected goals of 0.75 for Santa Cruz and 0.71 for Caxias. Folding in 30% of that view gives 27%.

This breakdown is generated from the same inputs the rating uses, so it cannot describe a calculation we did not perform. The full model is set out in the methodology.

Season form

TeamGamesO2.5O3.5BTTS
Santa Cruz1724%12%41%
Caxias1735%0%53%

More: Santa Cruz season stats · Caxias season stats · Serie C table and form. Ratings are calibrated probabilities, not tips — a 60% call is expected to miss two times in five.