Sao Paulo plays Palmeiras trying to extend unbeaten streak

Two teams in the top four face each other this Wednesday on the Brazilian Serie A soccer league, with leaders Sao Paulo playing Palmeiras in a local Sao Paulo State derby. Second place Cruzeiro will travel to Curitiba to play Parana, and third place Botafogo has the local Rio de Janeiro derby against Flamengo. Five other games will be played on Wednesday, with two matches being scheduled for Thursday, when Santos will host Atletico Paranaense and Nautico will play Vasco in Rio.

Here's a preview of this Wednesday's games:

PALMEIRAS x SAO PAULO
After a great 5-0 win at home over Nautico on Sunday, Sao Paulo managed to keep six points clear of second place Cruzeiro in the standings. After a scoreless first half, the defending champions benefitted from a player being sent off to score five times in the last 35 minutes of the game. Palmeiras didn't do too bad itself on Sunday, scoring a good 2-1 away win over Figueirense. Defender Alex Silva returns to Sao Paulo after being rested on Sunday. Aloisio may return to the starting lineup, but coach Muricy Ramalho hasn't confirmed his starting eleven. Palmeiras is also surrounded in mistery, with coach Caio Junior confirming only that midfielder Pierre returns from suspension. Defender Dininho may also return after a one-game suspension, but Palmeiras still has to decide if it field two or three central defenders. In the third round, both teams played to a scoreless draw at the Morumbi.

PARANA x CRUZEIRO
Cruzeiro had a great 3-0 away win over Corinthians, in a game that cost the job of Corinthians' coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani. Thanks to a six-game winning streak, the team managed to maintain second place in the standings, with one game in hand over most of its direct opponents (a postponed match against Flamengo). Parana had a good 3-1 win at home over Juventude, jumping to 12th place in the standings with 27 points. The team will be happy with a draw here. Defender Nem is injured for the locals. Cruzeiro has confirmed the return of Wagner and Ramires, who were suspended. Forward Guilherme may return, but Marcelo Moreno played well in the last game and might be given another shot in the starting squad. Defender Thiago Heleno is out, as is coach Dorival Junior, who will be tried for having invaded the pitch in the game against Botafogo. Parana beat Cruzeiro 4-3 in Belo Horizonte in the third round.

JUVENTUDE x GOIAS
Juventude keeps losing matches, and with them the chance of continuing to play in the Brazilian Serie A in 2008. After a 4-0 loss to Flamengo and a 3-1 defeat to Parana, the team returns home to take on Goias, which lost to Flamengo on the road 3-1 after a 0-0 draw with Sao Paulo at home. Coach Beto Almeida makes his debut at home after the two road losses, and will be without suspended Wescley. Right-backs Jucemar and James were sent packing this week and will no longer play for the team. Five players are injured for Goias: defender Andre Leone, left-backs Diego and Luiz Henrique and forwards Fabricio Carvalho and Wendell. They had already missed the game against Flamengo. In the third round, Goias beat Juventude 3-1 in Goiania.

FIGUEIRENSE x AMERICA
Figueirense lost at home to Palmeiras on Sunday to reach its seventh game without a win. Fortunately, it now has the weakest team in the Serie A to try to recover. America seems to have given up on the season, continuing to lose game after game. On Sunday the loss came at home, 4-1 to Santos, to give the team an eight-game winless streak. For this game America will be without coach Marcelo Veiga, who resigned after the loss to Santos. Forward Arlon and Bea, and right-back Robson Lopes were fired this week. Midfielders Souza and Marquinhos are injured, alongside left-back Adriano Peixe. Forward Paulo Isidoro and midfielder Reinaldo are suspended. The locals will have the return of wings Ruy and Andre Santos, who were suspended. Midfielders Cleiton Xavier and Diogo remain out of shape, and won't play. In their other meeting this season, America lost to Figueirense 1-0 at home.

BOTAFOGO x FLAMENGO
Botafogo tries to show it is still in the title race, after a 2-1 away win over Atletico Mineiro put the team back into third place in the standings, with 37 points. Flamengo has improved significantly over the past few games, managing to climb out of the relegation zone, while still having two games in hand in comparison to most other teams in the tournament. Left-back Luciano Almeida is questionable for Botafogo, but Dodo, Leandro Guerreiro and Ze Roberto will likely play. Flamengo will be without midfielder Roger, suspended, and forward Maxi Biancucchi, injured. Midfielder Renato Augusto will likely return from injury, and Juan, who was suspended, may also join the red-and-blacks. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in the third round.

ATLETICO MINEIRO x CORINTHIANS
After losing at home to Botafogo, Atletico fans might be a bit concerned about the real potential of the team. It looks like the team will settle for a mid-table position, something which would actually be welcomed by unstable Corinthians, which lost coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani after a 3-0 loss at home to Cruzeiro on Saturday. Defender Leandro Almeida is out suspended, while Bilu and Marcelinho are still injured for Atletico. Corinthians interim coach is Ze Augusto, who will have maybe two games to prove he deserves a longer tenure ahead of the team. Betao, Vampeta and Ricardinho are suspended. Atletico tied Corinthians 0-0 in their other matchup this season.

INTER x FLUMINENSE
Inter's last minute controversial goal against Atletico Paranaense saved the team from an embarrassing result on Saturday. Meanwhile, Fluminense was also complaining about the goal scored by Inter's cross-town rival, Gremio, in another match played at the same time against the team from Rio. Now Fluminense travels to the Beira-Rio trying to rescue what's left of its season. With 27 points, the team is just four points ahead of the last team that would be relegated if the season ended today. The Libertadores classification zone now seems like a distant objective, nine points away. Ceara, Guinazu and Iarley are injured, while Indio, Marcao and Alex are suspended for Inter. Right-backs Carlinhos and Rafael are out with injuries, while defender Luiz Alberto is suspended. Fluminense beat Inter 3-0 at home in the third round.

SPORT x GREMIO
Gremio benefitted from a controversial goal to tie Fluminense on the road on Saturday, but the team will have to play better against Sport in Recife if it doesn't want to distance itself too much from the league leaders. With 32 points, the team is four behind fourth-placed Palmeiras. Sport has 28 points, and was lucky to escape with a draw in the game against Vasco on Sunday, even though the locals lost a penalty kick in the second half. The team must take advantage of this game not to end its two-game homestand without a win. Midfielder Everton and defender Cesar are suspended for Sport. The visitors will have the return of Diego Souza, who was suspended, while Carlos Eduardo is out after being sold to Germany's Hoffenheim. In the third round, Gremio scored an important 1-0 home win over Sport.