Brazilian Serie A preview - Round 15

With the big story this week being the all-Brazilian final of the Libertadores Cup, the Brazilian Serie A gets ready for its 15th round. Curiously enough, the two top teams in the standings are exactly those that will beging fighting for the South American crown next Wednesday, Sao Paulo and Internacional. For that reason, they will field their reserve sides this weekend, and should not really concentrate on the domestic league.

Four games are scheduled for Saturday, with the other six completing the round on Sunday. Here are the games of the weekend:

GREMIO x JUVENTUDE: Right after playing Inter's reserve side last week on a local derby, Gremio faces another rival from Rio Grande do Sul. Juventude has been playing slightly better than Gremio lately, but home-field advantage should play a part in this match. The locals should guarantee at least a point.

FIGUEIRENSE x SAO CAETANO: After a loss to Juventude last week, Figueirense looks to recover its form at home against Sao Caetano. Coach Emerson Leao will try to get a better result than the two draws from his team's last two games, but an away victory against a motivated and so far surprising Figueirense side seems too much to ask for. This looks like a draw to me.

FLAMENGO x GOIAS: With another week to recover from the Brazilian Cup celebrations, Flamengo should play better this time around than in the loss away to Atletico Paranaense. They face an always dangerous Goias side which, however, has not looked too good after the World Cup break. Great opportunity for the locals to put some effort in trying to escape the relegation zone.

CORINTHIANS x ATLETICO PARANAENSE: Defending champions Corinthians still find themselves in last place, thanks to a combination of poor play, internal crisis and bad luck. This week they have another good chance to build momentum with a win, against an Atletico Paranaense side which is far weaker than the team that was among the country's best a couple of years ago.

BOTAFOGO x SAO PAULO: The visitors will not take their full force into this game, leaving it open for Botafogo to get the three points at home. The team from Rio should still be aware that the reserve side of Sao Paulo is not as bad as the 4-0 loss to Santos last week would suggest. But Botafogo should get at least one point here, keeping its unbeaten streak after the World Cup break intact.

SANTOS x INTERNACIONAL: After beating Sao Paulo's reserves 4-0 last weekend, Santos tries to do the same to Inter's reserves. If the team play as seriously as it did last weekend, it has a very good chance of getting the three points here too. Inter is way too concentrated in the Libertadores final, considered one of the most important series ever in the history of the club.

PARANA x VASCO: Parana lost to Palmeiras last week and saw its winning and unbeaten streaks end in the same game. However, the team still played well and could have finished the game with a better result if not for an even better game played by Palmeiras. Returning home this weekend, the team shall pick up right where it left off before last week. Vasco can pull a point thanks to its tradition, but if current form is any indication, then Parana should win the game.

PONTE PRETA x FLUMINENSE: Ponte tries to recover from its terrible form before it's too late to escape relegation. Now officially in the danger zone, the team must beat a Fluminense side that has wasted two straight chances of approaching the top of the standings, with draws against Sao Caetano and Botafogo. If they manage to put themselves together and recover their play from before the World Cup break, they should beat Ponte Preta.

CRUZEIRO x SANTA CRUZ: After a strong performance prior to the World Cup, Cruzeiro has seen its play deteriorate of late, being winless in three matches. Scoreless in those three games, the team from Belo Horizonte must defeat Santa Cruz to regain ground on Sao Paulo and Inter. The visitors should provide an interesting effort, though, having won four matches in a row.

FORTALEZA x PALMEIRAS: Alongside Santa Cruz, Palmeiras is the other team that won all its games after the World Cup break. And this week the team should continue its streak with a visit to inconsistent Fortaleza, which is ahead only of Corinthians in the standings. Coach Tite should try to keep his players focused though, now that the team has left the relegation zone.