Brazilian Serie A - Round 21 preview
The 21st round of the Brazilian Serie A begins tonight with seven games. Three matches will be played on Thursday. Leaders Sao Paulo play at home against second last Fortaleza, while second place Santos try to gain ground away at Atletico Paranaense. Vasco and Gremio try to consolidate their play of late playing at home, against Cruzeiro and Ponte Preta, respectively.
Here are my views on this round's games:
ATLETICO PARANAENSE x SANTOS: Santos tries to cut back the three point difference to the league leaders, but will have a tough date in Curitiba against Atletico Paranaense. After losing at home to Vasco and tying last place Santa Cruz away, Santos regained some confidence in a come from behind win over Goias last Saturday. Defender Ronaldo Guiaro and left-back Carlinhos are banned after receiving their third cumulative yellow cards in the last game. Atletico seems to be returning to form, with two straight wins, including a 2-1 away victory over Fluminense last weekend. After repeating its formation for two consecutive games, Atletico will miss four players due to suspensions in this match, including goalkeeper Cleber. Midfielders Alan Bahia, Ferreira and Marcelo Silva are the other suspended players. With so many problems, the locals will be lucky to get a point here. At home in April, Santos won 2-0.
GREMIO x CRUZEIRO: One of the hottest teams in the league, Gremio goes for its sixth win of August against a surging Cruzeiro side. The locals will again play with the gates closed and not in their regular Olimpico Stadium, in the last of the three-match ban after incidents during a game against Internacional. Not that the team has minded much, having won both the previous games under such conditions. On Sunday, it helped aggravate the defending champions critical situation with a 2-0 away win over Corinthians. For the game on Wednesday, the team will not have midfielder Lucas. Cruzeiro, on the other hand, has not been playing well this month, but is coming a 3-0 win over Sao Caetano that ended an eight-game winless streak. Francismar is banned for the match and will be replaced by either Sandro or Julio Cesar. Gremio are still the favorites, but Cruzeiro will try its best to return to the race for a Libertadores spot. Gremio lost 3-1 the previous time they met.
GOIAS x FLUMINENSE: Two teams playing extremely poor football of late meet at the Serra Dourada Stadium, with Fluminense's new coach Antonio Lopes returning to meet his former team just a couple of weeks after being fired. After losing on his debut, Lopes may take advantage of the knowledge he gathered while at the side from Goiania. His team has not shown recently it can play well enough for his gameplay to work though. Petkovic is still out injured, and Thiago Silva is suspended. New Goias coach Geninho will try to build up on the first half of his team away at Santos, when it even managed a partial 1-0 lead after 90 minutes. His team is winless in 11 games though, with the last win coming before the World Cup break, on June 1st. To make matters worse for the locals, the team will not have suspended Souza, Welliton, Cleber and Cleber Gaucho for the game, as well as injured Fabiano. Rafael Dias, Leonardo and Jadilson return to the team though, and Robson Luiz can make his debut for the team. In their previous match this season, Fluminense defeated Goias 1-0.
SANTA CRUZ x INTERNACIONAL: Can the best team in South America beat the last placed team in the Brazilian League. Under normal circunstances, this would be a no-brainer. However, Inter is still trying to regain its form after losing four important players from the squad that won the Libertadores. And the team has yet to win a game after the title. In its last match, the team tried hard but still lost at home to a reborn Vasco side. For tonight's game, left back Rubens Cardoso returns after serving a one-match suspension. Midfielder Fabinho is questionable, after complaining of back pains on Tuesday. Santa Cruz will desperately try to win the games it has at home to try to avoid relegation one year after being promoted to the Serie A. With just two draws in its last five games, including one draw and one loss at home, the team must improve significantly in order to do so. Defender Paulo Rodrigues plays instead of suspended Cassio. Despite Inter's form, for this game anything more than a draw for the locals would be a welcome surprise. Inter beat Santa Cruz 1-0 in April.
PALMEIRAS x FIGUEIRENSE: Palmeiras is still unbeaten after the World Cup break, thanks in large part to the work of coach Tite, who managed to bring back some confidence and improve the conditioning of his squad during the international competition. After a 1-1 draw away to Ponte Preta on Sunday, the team returns home to face Figueirense, which can always be a tough opponent. In its six matches this month, the team has lost only once. If Palmeiras keeps playing the way it has for the past month and a half though, tonight the visitors could see their second loss of the month. The locals will have Amaral in place of important Paulo Baier, banned for the match. Figueirense will miss its top scorer, midfielder Cicero, also suspended. The game has a special flavor to Palmeiras, which lost 6-1 to Figueirense in the second round of the league.
JUVENTUDE x FLAMENGO: Juventude surprised everyone when they travelled to Curitiba and beat third placed Parana 1-0 on Sunday. Not having played too consistently lately, few expected the team to pull such an upset. Back at home, they can only hope for a similar fate against Flamengo, who still run a risk of falling into the relegation zone. Regular defenders Antonio Carlos and Fabricio return to the team. The Brazilian Cup champions are unbeaten in August, with 2 wins and 4 draws. A draw here would not be too disappointing for the visitors. For this game, Peralta has been chosen to play in the attack in place of Obina, with Fernando and Leonardo Moura also returning to the team. Flamengo won the previous match between the two sides, 3-1 at the Maracana.
SAO CAETANO x CORINTHIANS: Without Tevez and Mascherano, who left the team and are being shopped around in Europe, Corinthians tries to regain its focus to escape the danger of playing in the Serie B next year. Coach Emerson Leao gets to face his former team - which he quit two weeks ago to take charge at his current side - and recover from the 2-0 loss at home to Gremio. Goalkeeper Marcelo is still recovering from a hit to the head suffered in that game and will likely not play. Left-back Gustavo Nery is still out injured, and defender Marcus Vinicius is suspended. Winless in three, Sao Caetano also tries to recover from an embarrassing loss, 3-0 away to Cruzeiro. Left-back Triguinho remains out for Sao Caetano. Another match that could end in a draw. Back in April, Corinthians beat Sao Caetano 3-0.
SAO PAULO x FORTALEZA: The first of the three matches on Thursday sees leaders Sao Paulo host second last Fortaleza at the Morumbi Stadium, in a game the locals must win to confirm their favoritism in the league. Fortaleza is coming two straight loss, 4-1 away to Gremio and 3-2 at home against Botafogo. Midfielder Lucio was sent off against Botafogo and will not play here. Defenders Emerson and Glauber return to the team, together with forward Osmar. After a 3-2 win over Parana last Thursday, Sao Paulo tied Flamengo away 1-1 to hold on to the lead. Coach Muricy Ramalho will play midfielder Lenilson in place of injured forward Aloisio, shifting from a 4-4-2 formation to a 3-6-1, with Thiago as the lone striker. Fortaleza beat Sao Paulo 1-0 in their second match of the league.
VASCO x PONTE PRETA: What else could Vasco fans ask for? In the middle of a three-game winning streak which included away wins over Santos and Internacional, the team coached by Renato Gaucho faces Ponte Preta at home with its sights on second place Santos. However, the team will not have five regular players for the game. Defenders Fabio Braz and Paulao are suspended, together with midfielder Morais. Forward Edilson has left the team to play in Japan, and right-back Wagner Diniz is out injured. Ponte has other plans though, and hopes to play as well as it did in the 1-1 draw at home against Palmeiras to build some room between itself and the relegation zone. Defender Regis and forward Luis Mario are out suspended, and will be replaced by Thiago Mathias and Tuto. Vasco is still the favorite here, but all the changes can make it a little easier for the visitors. The team from Rio defeated Ponte 2-1 in Campinas in their previous match this season.
BOTAFOGO x PARANA: Having just left the bottom four, Botafogo wants to remain outside of it after facing Parana. The team from Rio is coming off two straight wins that ended a six-game winless streak, and hope to take advantage of the sudden collapse at the visitors' side, that lost two in a row. But the team will be without captain Claiton, sent off against Fortaleza. Defender Joilson and forward Jefferson Feijao are questionable. Parana fans are still trying to understand how the team could lose at home to Juventude after playing so well in a 3-2 away loss at Sao Paulo. If the team is able to regroup, it could escape this game with at least a point. Defender Emerson and midfielder Beto return to the team, but forward Leonardo continues to be out with an ankle injury. In the second round, the teams were held scoreless.
Here are my views on this round's games:
ATLETICO PARANAENSE x SANTOS: Santos tries to cut back the three point difference to the league leaders, but will have a tough date in Curitiba against Atletico Paranaense. After losing at home to Vasco and tying last place Santa Cruz away, Santos regained some confidence in a come from behind win over Goias last Saturday. Defender Ronaldo Guiaro and left-back Carlinhos are banned after receiving their third cumulative yellow cards in the last game. Atletico seems to be returning to form, with two straight wins, including a 2-1 away victory over Fluminense last weekend. After repeating its formation for two consecutive games, Atletico will miss four players due to suspensions in this match, including goalkeeper Cleber. Midfielders Alan Bahia, Ferreira and Marcelo Silva are the other suspended players. With so many problems, the locals will be lucky to get a point here. At home in April, Santos won 2-0.
GREMIO x CRUZEIRO: One of the hottest teams in the league, Gremio goes for its sixth win of August against a surging Cruzeiro side. The locals will again play with the gates closed and not in their regular Olimpico Stadium, in the last of the three-match ban after incidents during a game against Internacional. Not that the team has minded much, having won both the previous games under such conditions. On Sunday, it helped aggravate the defending champions critical situation with a 2-0 away win over Corinthians. For the game on Wednesday, the team will not have midfielder Lucas. Cruzeiro, on the other hand, has not been playing well this month, but is coming a 3-0 win over Sao Caetano that ended an eight-game winless streak. Francismar is banned for the match and will be replaced by either Sandro or Julio Cesar. Gremio are still the favorites, but Cruzeiro will try its best to return to the race for a Libertadores spot. Gremio lost 3-1 the previous time they met.
GOIAS x FLUMINENSE: Two teams playing extremely poor football of late meet at the Serra Dourada Stadium, with Fluminense's new coach Antonio Lopes returning to meet his former team just a couple of weeks after being fired. After losing on his debut, Lopes may take advantage of the knowledge he gathered while at the side from Goiania. His team has not shown recently it can play well enough for his gameplay to work though. Petkovic is still out injured, and Thiago Silva is suspended. New Goias coach Geninho will try to build up on the first half of his team away at Santos, when it even managed a partial 1-0 lead after 90 minutes. His team is winless in 11 games though, with the last win coming before the World Cup break, on June 1st. To make matters worse for the locals, the team will not have suspended Souza, Welliton, Cleber and Cleber Gaucho for the game, as well as injured Fabiano. Rafael Dias, Leonardo and Jadilson return to the team though, and Robson Luiz can make his debut for the team. In their previous match this season, Fluminense defeated Goias 1-0.
SANTA CRUZ x INTERNACIONAL: Can the best team in South America beat the last placed team in the Brazilian League. Under normal circunstances, this would be a no-brainer. However, Inter is still trying to regain its form after losing four important players from the squad that won the Libertadores. And the team has yet to win a game after the title. In its last match, the team tried hard but still lost at home to a reborn Vasco side. For tonight's game, left back Rubens Cardoso returns after serving a one-match suspension. Midfielder Fabinho is questionable, after complaining of back pains on Tuesday. Santa Cruz will desperately try to win the games it has at home to try to avoid relegation one year after being promoted to the Serie A. With just two draws in its last five games, including one draw and one loss at home, the team must improve significantly in order to do so. Defender Paulo Rodrigues plays instead of suspended Cassio. Despite Inter's form, for this game anything more than a draw for the locals would be a welcome surprise. Inter beat Santa Cruz 1-0 in April.
PALMEIRAS x FIGUEIRENSE: Palmeiras is still unbeaten after the World Cup break, thanks in large part to the work of coach Tite, who managed to bring back some confidence and improve the conditioning of his squad during the international competition. After a 1-1 draw away to Ponte Preta on Sunday, the team returns home to face Figueirense, which can always be a tough opponent. In its six matches this month, the team has lost only once. If Palmeiras keeps playing the way it has for the past month and a half though, tonight the visitors could see their second loss of the month. The locals will have Amaral in place of important Paulo Baier, banned for the match. Figueirense will miss its top scorer, midfielder Cicero, also suspended. The game has a special flavor to Palmeiras, which lost 6-1 to Figueirense in the second round of the league.
JUVENTUDE x FLAMENGO: Juventude surprised everyone when they travelled to Curitiba and beat third placed Parana 1-0 on Sunday. Not having played too consistently lately, few expected the team to pull such an upset. Back at home, they can only hope for a similar fate against Flamengo, who still run a risk of falling into the relegation zone. Regular defenders Antonio Carlos and Fabricio return to the team. The Brazilian Cup champions are unbeaten in August, with 2 wins and 4 draws. A draw here would not be too disappointing for the visitors. For this game, Peralta has been chosen to play in the attack in place of Obina, with Fernando and Leonardo Moura also returning to the team. Flamengo won the previous match between the two sides, 3-1 at the Maracana.
SAO CAETANO x CORINTHIANS: Without Tevez and Mascherano, who left the team and are being shopped around in Europe, Corinthians tries to regain its focus to escape the danger of playing in the Serie B next year. Coach Emerson Leao gets to face his former team - which he quit two weeks ago to take charge at his current side - and recover from the 2-0 loss at home to Gremio. Goalkeeper Marcelo is still recovering from a hit to the head suffered in that game and will likely not play. Left-back Gustavo Nery is still out injured, and defender Marcus Vinicius is suspended. Winless in three, Sao Caetano also tries to recover from an embarrassing loss, 3-0 away to Cruzeiro. Left-back Triguinho remains out for Sao Caetano. Another match that could end in a draw. Back in April, Corinthians beat Sao Caetano 3-0.
SAO PAULO x FORTALEZA: The first of the three matches on Thursday sees leaders Sao Paulo host second last Fortaleza at the Morumbi Stadium, in a game the locals must win to confirm their favoritism in the league. Fortaleza is coming two straight loss, 4-1 away to Gremio and 3-2 at home against Botafogo. Midfielder Lucio was sent off against Botafogo and will not play here. Defenders Emerson and Glauber return to the team, together with forward Osmar. After a 3-2 win over Parana last Thursday, Sao Paulo tied Flamengo away 1-1 to hold on to the lead. Coach Muricy Ramalho will play midfielder Lenilson in place of injured forward Aloisio, shifting from a 4-4-2 formation to a 3-6-1, with Thiago as the lone striker. Fortaleza beat Sao Paulo 1-0 in their second match of the league.
VASCO x PONTE PRETA: What else could Vasco fans ask for? In the middle of a three-game winning streak which included away wins over Santos and Internacional, the team coached by Renato Gaucho faces Ponte Preta at home with its sights on second place Santos. However, the team will not have five regular players for the game. Defenders Fabio Braz and Paulao are suspended, together with midfielder Morais. Forward Edilson has left the team to play in Japan, and right-back Wagner Diniz is out injured. Ponte has other plans though, and hopes to play as well as it did in the 1-1 draw at home against Palmeiras to build some room between itself and the relegation zone. Defender Regis and forward Luis Mario are out suspended, and will be replaced by Thiago Mathias and Tuto. Vasco is still the favorite here, but all the changes can make it a little easier for the visitors. The team from Rio defeated Ponte 2-1 in Campinas in their previous match this season.
BOTAFOGO x PARANA: Having just left the bottom four, Botafogo wants to remain outside of it after facing Parana. The team from Rio is coming off two straight wins that ended a six-game winless streak, and hope to take advantage of the sudden collapse at the visitors' side, that lost two in a row. But the team will be without captain Claiton, sent off against Fortaleza. Defender Joilson and forward Jefferson Feijao are questionable. Parana fans are still trying to understand how the team could lose at home to Juventude after playing so well in a 3-2 away loss at Sao Paulo. If the team is able to regroup, it could escape this game with at least a point. Defender Emerson and midfielder Beto return to the team, but forward Leonardo continues to be out with an ankle injury. In the second round, the teams were held scoreless.
posted by fejas @ 12:43 PM
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