Two best teams in Brazil face each other tonight

The duel between the two top teams in the league is the highlight of the 18th round of the Brazilian Serie A soccer league. Second place Botafogo hosts Sao Paulo at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with five other matches also scheduled for tonight. Four games complete the 18th round on Thursday.

Here is a preview of tonight's games:

BOTAFOGO x SAO PAULO
After leading for most of the season, Botafogo finally saw Sao Paulo take over first place over the weekend. Tonight, Botafogo can retake the lead even with a game in hand. In order to do so, however, it must manage to find a way to score on Sao Paulo's defense, the best of the league with only 7 goals allowed in 17 games. The locals have the second-best attack though, with 35 goals in 16 matches. The new leaders have won four straight, and definitely would hope to get at least a point from the game at the Maracana. Midfielder Ze Roberto was punished for being one-hour late to the training session on Tuesday, and will not play for Botafogo. Wing Joilson, who was suspended against Parana, returns to the team. Defender Alex, who is on a loan from Sao Paulo, cannot play for Botafogo either, due to a clause in his loan contract. Midfielder Hugo and Souza are out suspended for Sao Paulo, with defender Andre Dias and forward Aloisio also out, with injuries. Dagoberto returns to the team, but will start on the bench since he's just coming back from an injury.

JUVENTUDE x FLUMINENSE
Juventude lost to Atletico Mineiro on Sunday, and hopes it can regroup to avoid a devastating second straight home loss. The team from Caxias do Sul still sits in the relegation zone, in 18th place with 15 points. Fluminense continues to play erractically, losing 1-0 to Palmeiras at home in its latest match to extend its winless streak to four games. Forward Rodrigo Tiui may return to Fluminense after sitting out the game against Palmeiras. For Juventude, midfielder Marcao returns to the team, replacing Julio Cesar, who was sent off against Atletico. Coach Claudio Duarte is still searching for his first point ahead of the team, after losing to Sao Paulo and Atletico in his two first games.

CRUZEIRO x SPORT
Slowly but surely, Cruzeiro has been gaining important points at home over the last few rounds. On Sunday the team beat Internacional 3-2 at the Mineirao Stadium to reach 26 points, good enough for fourth place in the standings. Sport Recife has also improved a lot from the start of the season, and currently sits in tenth place, with 24 points. The team just hopes it can start its games on a better pace. In its last two matches, against Palmeiras and Atletico Paranaense, it fell behind on the scoreboard before having to rally for a couple of wins. But perhaps the team wouldn't mind doing the same again, if it resulted in another three points in the standings. Cruzeiro has the best attack in the league with 36 goals, but Sport is not far behind, with 30. Both teams have allowed 32 goals, second-worst in the league. Forward Guilherme returns from suspension, and midfielder Charles, who also missed last game, is available as well for the locals. The visitors may have five players back. Captain Everton was cleared by the medical staff and may start the game. Igor, Bilica and Dutra return from suspension, and Junior Maranhao may make his debut. But top scorer Carlinhos Bala is out suspended.

NAUTICO x FIGUEIRENSE
With a few good matches of late, including a superb 5-1 away win over America Natal over the weekend, Nautico is already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. With a win over Figueirense, and a combination of other results, Nautico could end the 18th round already out of the bottom four. The visitors won't be easy opponents though, being excited about their recent 1-0 win over Gremio and a 2-2 away draw at Vasco, that extended the team's unbeaten streak to four. Midfielder Acosta returns from suspension for Nautico, while defender Toninho is out after accumulating three yellow cards. Ruy returns to Figueirense, but Andre Santos and Chicao are out suspended.

GOIAS x ATLETICO MINEIRO
Atletico has managed two wins in three matches under new coach Emerson Leao, including a great 2-1 victory over Juventude on the road on Sunday. Tonight the game won't be easy, with Goias holding a very respectable home record. The team from Goiania helped Corinthians end a 10-game losing streak with a 1-0 loss on Saturday, but knows things could be different at the Serra Dourada Stadium this Wednesday. The locals haven't lost to Atletico in six games. Forward Cristiano may make his first appearance for Goias, as well as left-back Chiquinho. Defender Amaral and full-back Vitor are suspended. Atletico will be without its two defenders, Vinicius and Leandro Almeida, suspended.

ATLETICO PARANAENSE x FLAMENGO
Is Flamengo really that bad? Will the team fall to the Serie B in 2008, or is it still sitting in the bottom four only due to the fact that it has played four less games than most of its opponents? Perhaps it's a mixture of both, but time is certainly running out for the most popular team in Brazil, which must start getting points to regain the confidence it needs to climb out of the relegation zone. Atletico Paranense still hasn't recovered from the long-term injury loss of Alex Mineiro and Evandro, injured a couple of weeks ago in the game against Gremio. The team is not completely safe from relegation either, sitting just two points ahead of Nautico, which would be the last team to be relegated if the season ended today. Flamengo is still trying to clear midfielder Cristian - who was transferred from Atletico - to play. If he's not able to dress up for the game, coach Joel Santana is likely going to use a 3-5-2 formation instead of the regular 4-4-2 adopted by the team. Forward Souza is still out after being suspended for four games following his sending off against Gremio on July 22. Midfielder Claiton is likely out for Atletico, together with Evandro, Alex Mineiro, Jancarlos, Nei and Michel, all injured. Left-back Alessandro is available for the match.