America Mineiro welcome Corinthians to Independencia on Wednesday evening as both sides bid to reach the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil.
The hosts head into the first leg on the back of a dramatic draw with Atletico Mineiro, while the visitors suffered a narrow defeat to Bragantino last time out.
Match preview
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America Mineiro found themselves 2-0 down inside 28 minutes against Atletico Mineiro on Sunday, but Coelho managed to turn things around and snatch a point, courtesy of a second-half brace from Gonzalo Mastriani.
Still, America remain second from bottom in the Brasileiro table – three points behind 16th-placed Corinthians – having recorded two wins, three draws and eight losses in the league this year.
It is also worth pointing out that Vagner Mancini's men have won just three of their last 10 outings across all competitions, recording two draws and five defeats in the process, although they managed to claim a 2-0 league victory over Corinthians last month.
America kicked off their Copa do Brasil campaign by dispatching Tocantinopolis and Santa Cruz in the early rounds before notching a 7-1 aggregate victory over Nova Iguacu.
In the previous round, the Belo Horizonte outfit played out a 3-3 draw with Internacional before winning 5-4 on penalties, so Mancini's men will be eager to reach the semi-finals with as little drama as possible.
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To say that Corinthians have endured a disappointing season up to now would be an understatement, as the seven-time Brasileiro champions and three-time Copa do Brasil winners have flattered to deceive in 2023.
Indeed, Timao find themselves one point outside the Brasileiro relegation zone following a 1-0 defeat to Bragantino, and they have managed to win just three of their 13 league outings this term.
It is also worth remembering that Corinthians required two penalty shootouts to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil, edging past third-tier side Remo in the third round before knocking out Atletico Mineiro in the last 16.
In terms of the bigger picture, Vanderlei Luxemburgo's men have won just two of their last seven matches across all competitions, with only four victories coming in their previous 17 encounters.
Having lost nine of their last 11 away outings – failing to score on eight occasions during that period – Corinthians will need to up their game if they want to reach the Copa do Brasil final for the second year running.
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Team News
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America Mineiro look set to be without the injured trio of Dada Belmonte (groin), Matheusinho (knee) and Adyson (knee) for the foreseeable future.
Vagner Mancini will likely stick with his favoured 4-4-2 formation, with Luo Guofu and Juninho starting in attack, while Emmanuel Martinez and Felipe Azevedo are expected to anchor the midfield.
Corinthians, on the other hand, are still without Gustavo Mosquito due to a ruptured knee ligament, while former Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho is also sidelined through injury.
Vanderlei Luxemburgo is expected to continue with his preferred 4-3-3 formation, meaning that Guilherme Biro, Yuri Alberto and Roger Guedes will make up the forward line.
America Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Pasinato; Marcinho, Eder, Maidana, Avelar; Kal, Azevedo, Martinez, Breno; Juninho, Guofu
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Fagner, Gil, Murillo, Bidu; Oliveira, Moscardo, Maycon; Biro, Alberto, Guedes
We say: America Mineiro 1-0 Corinthians
Given that off-form Corinthians have managed to win just four of their last 17 matches in all competitions, we expect America Mineiro to notch a narrow first-leg advantage on home soil.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
