The second half begins

The second half of the 2007 Brazilian Serie A soccer league begins on Saturday, with three games.

ATLETICO PARANAENSE x FIGUEIRENSE
The two teams from Brazil's South are dangerously close to the bottom of the table. Atletico is in 16th place, and Figueirense in 15th, the two spots just above the relegation zone. Atletico has won only one of its last eight games. Figueirense has lost only once in its last six games. But the team hasn't won much either, with only one victory and four draws to show for in the other games. In the first round, Atletico had a wild 6-3 away win to open the Serie A. Right-back Ruy and defender Vinicius are suspended for Figueirense, while midfielder Carlinhos returns from injury - probably starting from the bench. Atletico can have the return of midfielder Alan Bahia, who was out of the team for the past few weeks after being involved in a car accident that killed a friend of his.

GREMIO x PARANA
Gremio, with 28 points, is trying to return to the top four in the standings after its performance dropped in the final rounds of the first half. Parana is long gone from the top of the table, and is now dangerously approaching the bottom four. The locals lost three of the last four, while Parana is winless in six and hasn't scored a goal in four games. In the first round, Parana scored a good 3-0 win. Tcheco is suspended for Gremio, while Gavilan may return from suspension. Hidalgo will make his debut on the left-back position, while Marcelo Grohe takes up goalkeeper spot from suspended Saja. Parana has the return of top scorer Josiel, who was suspended. Left-back Leo Matos is suspended, and defender Daniel Marques is injured.

SANTOS x SPORT
A mid-table matchup, with both teams tied at 27 points and currently occupying the qualification zone for the Copa Sudamericana. After three straight wins, Santos lost to Fluminense 3-0 last weekend, and tries to rebound at home against Sport, which defeated Juventude at home 3-0 in its last game. In the first round of the Serie A, Sport beat Santos 4-1 in Recife. Midfielder Petkovic will likely make his first game as a starter for Santos, while defensive midfielder Maldonado returns after a thigh injury kept him sidelined for a month. Left-back Kleber returns from suspension. Sport's coach Geninho decided to replace three players, Gustavo, Adriano Gabiru and Da Silva.

---
Update: Gremio and Santos had 2-0 wins, while Atletico and Figueirense played to a 1-1 draw.