Brazilian Serie A: round 13 preview

Three games open the 13th round of the Brazilian Serie A football
league on Saturday, with seven other matches played on Sunday.

Here's a preview of the games this weekend:

VASCO x ATLETICO MINEIRO
Since its match with Botafogo for the 12th round had already been played last month, Vasco did not play during the week. The team hopes the full week of rest will allow the players to be at their best against Atletico Mineiro, which is coming off a good 4-1 win at home over America Natal. The visitors have struggled on the road, winning only one game away from Belo Horizonte all season long. Vasco will be without suspended left-back Guilherme. Atletico will have the return of midfielders Danilinho, Bilu and Eder Luis. Rafael Miranda is still questionable.

AMERICA NATAL x ATLETICO PARANAENSE
America keeps trying to get its first point at home in the season. This Saturday, it plays a determined Atletico team which beat Juventude 4-0 at home on Wednesday, ending a two-game goaless streak. Four regulars are missing for the locals. Midfielders Marcos Alexandre, Leandro Sena, Celio and forward Frontini are suspended. For the visitors, defender Danilo is out suspended. New arrival Claiton, who was with Flamengo, may make his debut.

JUVENTUDE x INTERNACIONAL
Juventude is surely happy to be back home, after being trounced by Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba 4-0. But things don't look very bright for the team from Rio Grande do Sul, which will face a Internacional team coming off three straight wins. Coach Flavio Campos may lose his job if Juventude loses, and this will certainly put some extra pressure on the locals. Iarley is out suspended for Inter, but midfielder Alex may return from injury. Fabio Baiano may make his debut for Juventude, which will also have the return of defender Leonardo Silva and Eber, who were suspended.

GREMIO x FLAMENGO
After playing its traditional cautious away game on Thursday against Goias, Gremio returns to Porto Alegre trying to regain momentum and keep moving up in the standings. It will face a Flamengo team that is starting to feel a little desperate, after losing to Parana 2-1 and not managing to escape the relegation zone. The team still has three games in hand in comparison to its closest competitors though. Defensive midfielder Diego Souza is out suspended for Gremio, but forward Tuta may return from injury after being out for more than a month. Gavilan returns from suspension, while Ramon and Amoroso are also available. Flamengo will try to recover from a 13-hour trip from Uberlandia to Porto Alegre on Friday, and will likely field the same team that started against Parana.

FLUMINENSE x GOIAS
The team coached by Renato Gaucho did extremely well on Wednesday, going to the Morumbi Stadium and beating third place Sao Paulo 1-0. Unable to play in Rio, the team hosts second place Goias in neutral Cariacica on Sunday, trying to do just as well to gain more positions in the standings. Gaucho has not informed if his team will use a 3-6-1 or 4-4-2 formation. Forward Fabricio Carvalho is out suspended for Goias.

CORINTHIANS x NAUTICO
Still worried about its crisis off the field, Corinthians hosts last place Nautico in Sao Paulo on Sunday. The locals haven't won in six games, but the visitors are even worse, managing just four draws and six losses in their last ten. Maybe a tie would extend the misery for both sides? Forward Everton Santos is out injured for Corinthians, while defensive midfielder Ricardinho will make his debut, replacing Bruno Octavio. Right-back Pedro returns after serving a one-game suspension. Forward Kuki, disappointed with the criticism he's been receiving from fans, asked for and was granted a leave by Nautico, and won't play. Marcelinho is out injured, while goalkeeper Eduardo and midfielder Daniel Sobralense, despite still feeling some pain from persisting injuries, will likely play.

CRUZEIRO x SAO PAULO
Cruzeiro has been playing well since the team lost to Santos on the road three games ago. It has beaten Goias 2-1 at home and Nautico 4-1 on the road. It now faces the defending champions Sao Paulo, a shadow of the team it was for the past two seasons. With just 9 goals scored in 12 matches, Sao Paulo must turn its attack on soon or risk losing valuable ground in the title race. Despite its problems, the team is still in fourth place, tied with Cruzeiro, currently in third. The visitors will be without forwards Aloisio and Dagoberto, injured, while their substitute Marcel has been sold to Gremio. Borges or Leandro may play alongside Diego Tardelli in the attack. Josue is out suspended, but Jorge Wagner and Alex Silva may return from injuries. After playing the same starting lineup for two consecutive games, coach Dorival Junior will have to make at least one change in the Cruzeiro team, after Wagner was sent off against Nautico and is suspended for this game. Defender Luizao, who was with the Brazilian Under-20 team that played the U-20 World Cup in Canada, has been sold to a Swiss team and is also out.

SPORT x BOTAFOGO
Sport surprised Figueirense on the road on Wednesday, scoring a 1-0 win - its fourth victory in its past five games. Going back to Recife on Sunday, it hosts leaders Botafogo, which is still trying to determine whether last week's defeat at the hands of Santos was an accident or the start of a decline from the league lead. Defender Juninho, midfielder Tulio and forward Dodo are suspended, while midfielder Ze Roberto is out with the flu. The locals will be without midfielders Everton and Bia. Defender Igor, midfielder Adriano and wing Diogo are questionable. Midfielder Romerito returns from suspension.

SANTOS x FIGUEIRENSE
Santos lost its bid for a third straight win in injury time of the derby against Palmeiras on Thursday, but coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo was happy with what he saw. Going back to the Vila Belmiro this weekend, he knows the team must beat Figueirense to keep its title hopes alive. After a poor start to the season, the team is still nine points back of Botafogo. Midfielder Vitor Junior is out suspended, while Maldonado is still out injured for Santos. Midfielder Dionisio returns and forward Kleber Pereira may appear in the starting lineup, though. Figueirense will likely keep the same team that lost to Sport 1-0.

PARANA x PALMEIRAS
Parana got a good 2-1 away win over Flamengo to recover from recent defeats to lower-placed teams at home. Going back to Curitiba, it hopes it can continue its recovery against Palmeiras, which barely managed to tie the derby against Santos on Thursday to get to 19 points - good for 6th place but the same number of points as fifth place Parana, Sao Paulo and Cruzeiro. Midfielder Vinicius Pacheco is out suspended, with defender Daniel Marques and midfielder Adriano injured. Edmundo, who returned to the team against Santos but started from the bench, may begin this match.