Atletico Goianiense and America Mineiro will clash on Sunday, as both sides attempt to end poor runs of form in league action.
After a strong start to the season, Sunday's hosts have now won just one of their last six games in all competitions, while their visitors have failed to win any of their last four outings, dropping to 18th spot in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A table as a result.
Match preview
In just their second season back in the top flight, Atletico Goianiense had a bright start to the campaign, winning their first two games and collecting 10 points from their opening five matches to establish themselves in the top six.
However, their form took a quick decline, as Eduardo Barroca's side picked up just five points from the following seven league games, dropping out of the top half and out of reach of the top six as a result.
The Dragao did make an important return to winning ways last time out, though, as a Ze Roberto goal sealed a 1-0 away victory over Santos and their fifth league win of the campaign.
While they were again brought back down by a 2-1 cup defeat to Athletico Paranaense last time out, Barroca and his side will be far more focussed on ensuring they rise back up the league table by building on their recent win, with the chance to climb back towards the top six if they manage to record back-to-back Brasileiro victories.
They take on an America Mineiro side who will be desperate to put an end to a four-game winless run that has seen them drop into the bottom three.
After winning promotion last season, America Mineiro have had a difficult time in the top flight, winning just two of their 13 league games so far while collecting 10 points.
Those victories came consecutively after a seven-game winless run at the start of the season, as they firstly beat Bahia 4-3 thanks to goals from Felipe Azevedo, Juninho Valoura, Ribamar and Juninho, with a late brace from Gilberto seeing Vagner Mancini's side put under a degree of pressure, but ultimately making the game seem much closer than it was in reality.
They would then follow that up with another impressive win as they took on eight-time Brasileiro champions Santos, with Joao Paulo and Carlos Alberto getting on the scoresheet in a 2-0 victory.
While they looked to have turned a corner at the time, with the hopes of climbing the table, America Mineiro have quickly been dragged back down to earth, with just one point coming from the four games since those wins.
Three defeats followed immediately, as Mancini's men conceded six goals and failed to score in clashes with Fortaleza, Atletico Mineiro and Sport Recife.
Their solitary point came last time out, as they took on fellow strugglers Gremio in a crucial clash at the bottom end of the division, with the game finishing 1-1 as Azevedo cancelled out Guilherme Guedes's early opener.
While it was important to put an end to a concerning losing run, the Coelhe will likely be disappointed to have missed out on a good opportunity to pick up three points against a side below them, and they will now be desperate to seal an elusive victory to relieve some pressure in their bid to avoid being cut adrift in the relegation zone as the season progresses.
- W
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
Team News
Atletico Goianiense's new goalkeeper Luan Polli, who arrived on a free transfer from Sport Recife recently, is ineligible to play on Sunday, with Kozlinski and Fernando Miguel set to battle for the spot in the meantime.
Joao Paulo and Igor should both remain out of action through injury, although they will be boosted by the return of midfielder Maranhao, who served a one-game suspension last time out.
Ze Roberto should continue to lead the line and will look to add to his tally of three league goals for the season.
America Mineiro have several injury concerns to deal with, as Rodolfo, Ribamar, Marlon and Yan Sasse are all set to miss out.
Right-back Patric did recently arrive from Sport Recife, but he has been absent since the beginning of July and may not make Sunday's game.
Felipe Azevedo should play an important role in the front line after finding the net against Gremio last time out, likely supporting Chrigor who should again feature up front in the absence of Ribamar.
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Miguel; Santos, Wanderson, Oliveira, Pimienta; Maranhao, Baralhas, Freitas; Luis, Roberto, Janderson
America Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Cavichioli; Eduardo, Potiguar, Vitor; Diego, Juninho, Valoura, Ruschel; Azevedo; Chrigor, Daniel
We say: Atletico Goianiense 2-1 America Mineiro
Both sides come into Sunday's match desperate for a victory, and both will see this game as a good opportunity to do so given the opposition's poor run of form.
Given the circumstances, we see Atletico Goianiense's slightly superior quality getting them over the line, and while momentum is not a major factor considering both sides' recent struggles, a league win last time out could lift the hosts' confidence enough to fire them to another important win.
Top tip
Sam Varley
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Atletico Goianiense win with a probability of 41.99%. A win for America Mineiro had a probability of 30.11% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.
The most likely scoreline for an Atletico Goianiense win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.52%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.4%) and 2-0 (8.05%). The likeliest America Mineiro win was 0-1 (10.16%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.06%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.1% likelihood.
