Home field advantage?

It seems that playing at home was not much of an advantage for teams at the Brazilian Serie A this Wednesday. No local team scored a win in six matches, with just two teams drawing and an impressive four losing to the visitors.

Ponte Preta, for instance, seemed like a clear favourite ahead of its match against Fortaleza. The visitors soon showed they were determined to gain three points to help them escape the relegation zone, and build an impressive 3-1 win. In a night when its crosstown rivals were celebrating back home, Gremio managed to continue its strong play of late and scored a 4-2 away win over Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, Sao Caetano did not seem to mind losing its coach Emerson Leao on Monday, and shocked Vasco at Sao Januario, 2-1. Leao, by the way, had a good debut with Corinthians, helping the defending champion get an important 2-1 away win at Fluminense, with all goals coming in the first half.

Two other games ended tied, with Goias unable to defeat Botafogo at home and settling for a 2-2 tie, and Flamengo travelling to Florianopolis to tie Figueirense 1-1.

Today, Santos may climb to second in the standings with a win over Cruzeiro, while Palmeiras tries to confirm its good form against Juventude. Normally considered favourits, these home teams should pay attention to their supposed advantage from playing at home. After all, this advantage seems to have taken a break this midweek.