Brazilian Serie A: round 16 preview

Seven matches open the 16th round of the Brazilian Serie A football league. Two more games will be played on Thursday, while the last one, between Flamengo and Cruzeiro, was postponed until September 12. Thus, new Flamengo coach Joel Santana will make his debut only on Sunday, against Santos.

Here is a brief preview of the games to be played this midweek:

GOIAS x PARANA
Two teams that until recently were among the top four in the table face each other in Goiania trying to once again prove themselves worthy of respect. Goias will try to rebound from a 4-1 away loss to Vasco on Saturday, and may take advantage of its home field. Parana, 3-1 losers at home to Atletico Mineiro on Sunday, will be happy with a point. The locals will be without its two starting defenders, Leonardo - suspended - and Paulo Henrique - injured. Forward Josiel, with 12 goals in the season, may be playing his last match for Parana, since he's been discussing a possible transfer to France. Defender Luis Henrique comes back from suspension, midfielder Adriano plays for the first time in 45 days and Vinicius Pacheco starts in attack alongside Josiel.

NAUTICO x FLUMINENSE
Not even the most optimist Nautico fan could have hoped for the result the team achieved on the weekend, when it went to the famed Vila Belmiro Stadium and defeated Santos 2-1, in a way vindicating the 2-0 home loss to Gremio in the previous match. The team returns to Recife on Wednesday to face Fluminense, which only tied Figueirense 1-1 on Sunday. Midfielder Fabinho and right-back Carlinhos are out injured for the visitors. Forward Ferreira and midfielder Radames are out suspended for Nautico.

PALMEIRAS x SPORT
After being embarrassed on a 5-1 home loss to Internacional on Sunday, Sport welcomes the trip to Sao Paulo to face Palmeiras. Unfortunately they face a good Palmeiras team that is tough to beat in Sao Paulo. Coach Caio Junior opted to rest forward Edmundo for this game, with Luis and Luiz Alberto starting in attack for Palmeiras. For Sport, a complete revamping was in order after the humiliating loss to Inter. Coach Geninho may change up to nine players - four due to supension - and the tactical formation in order to try to guarantee at least a point on the road.

BOTAFOGO x AMERICA NATAL
After falling 3-2 on the road to Cruzeiro and seeing Sao Paulo join it at the top of the standings, Botafogo has a golden chance to recover some of its pride on Wednesday, when it hosts last place America Natal. America is coming off a 1-0 loss to Sao Paulo at home, having won only once in its last five games. Botafogo goalkeeper Julio Cesar has lost the starting job to Max, with a new goalkeeper coach making his debut after former coach Acacio was fired following the 3-2 loss to Cruzeiro. Luciano Almeida and Jorge Henrique are out with injuries for the locals. America has the return of two players that did not face Sao Paulo in the 1-0 loss at home on Sunday. Ney Santos and Arlon return, while Adaozinho may make his debut in midfield. Defender Edson Borges is out suspended.

ATLETICO PARANAENSE x CORINTHIANS
Despite a great 1-1 away draw at Gremio on the weekend, Atletico had a significant loss in its last game, when forward Alex Mineiro had to leave the pitch with a broken nose. He was submitted to a surgical procedure following the game to fix the problem, and will remain sidelined for three months. Evandro also had to leave the match when he suffered an elbow hit to the mouth, losing a couple of teeth. To make matters worse, defensive midfielder Alan Bahia was involved in a traffic accident on Sunday, being sent to hospital with minor cuts and bruises. Former Atletico player Alex Miranda, who was without a contract, was killed on the accident. Midfielder Claiton and left-back Edno are also out, suspended, while right-back Jancarlos is out with an injury. Corinthians, on the other hand, keeps surviving, gaining just enough points to remain out of the relegation zone. Winless in nine games, the team must do better than that to stay in the Serie A next year though. Defensive midfielder Bruno Octavio is suspended. Forward Everton Santos returns from a shoulder injury and replaces Wilson.

ATLETICO MINEIRO x SANTOS
Atletico has won twice in two games since coach Zetti left the team. This Wednesday it faces Santos, which is still trying to understand how it could lose to Nautico at home on Saturday. Midfielder Pedrinho is out for the visitors, which may force coach Wanderley Luxemburgo to adopt a more defensive formation, with defender Marcelo replacing him. Defensive midfielder Adriano is also out, suspended. For Atletico, Coelho and Rafael Miranda return from suspension.

INTERNACIONAL x VASCO
Internacional had a strong game in a 5-1 away win over Sport Recife on Sunday, but Vasco has been showing lately that it will try as hard as it can to battle for the title. The team has been performing better at home than on the road, but it nevertheless should give Inter a very tough time in this that may be considered the best game of this round. Both teams have 23 points, and must win to keep pace with leaders Sao Paulo and Botafogo, five points ahead. The only change for Vasco is in midfield, where Roberto Lopes replaces suspended Amaral. With five wins in its last six matches, Inter will have the return of Alexandre Pato, who missed the last game. Marcao, suspended, is out.

FIGUEIRENSE x GREMIO
Figueirense slowly tries to move away from near the bottom of the table and closer to the top, but its inconsistency during the season has kept the team in a mid-table position for most of the year. In the last four games, the team has managed only two draws, with two losses. On Thursday it will host third place Gremio, which will try to recover from a blown opportunity to close in on the leaders, after a 1-1 home draw to Atletico Paranaense. The visitors are unbeaten in nine matches, but haven't defeated Figueirense in Florianopolis in the last 5 years. Gremio will be without defender Schiavi, sold to Argentina's Newell's Old Boys, suspended midfielder Gavilan and injured forward Tuta. Sandro Goiano may return to midfield after taking part in training sessions this week. Defender Felipe Santana and midfielder Diogo return from suspension, but forward Otacilio Neto is out after accumulating three yellow cards.

SAO PAULO x JUVENTUDE
By the time this game is played, on Thursday, Sao Paulo may no longer be tied at the top of the standings, since co-leaders Botafogo play at home one day earlier against last place America Natal. But this doesn't mean the defending champions don't have a moral obligation to win this game, against a team that is also in the relegation zone. Juventude has been playing a little bit better of late at home, but definitely not so on the road. Having won three straight games, Sao Paulo will be without injured defender Andre Dias, who will be replaced by Alex Silva. Forwards Dagoberto and Aloisio are still out with injuries, and Jorge Wagner is suspended. Juventude has a new coach for this match, Claudio Duarte. He has already told the press he'll make several changes in the way the team plays, trying to lift Juventude out of the relegation zone. For this match he'll likely adopt a defensive approach, trying to take advantage of mistakes by Sao Paulo to create chances in counterattacks. Left-back Marcio Azevedo returns to the team, but will play in midfield. Midfielder Maraba, who had been playing supporting the attack, will move back to his original position as a defensive midfielder. Midfielder William and forward Michel have been cleared my the medical staff and could return if the coach wishes to use them.