In search of their first-ever road victory versus Fluminense in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, Bragantino will pay a visit to the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
Flu are winless in four successive matches in all competitions following a 2-0 defeat in league play versus Corinthians last weekend, now only ahead of Braga on goal difference after the Red Bull club defeated Santos 2-0 at the end of May.
Match preview
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Following a third-place finish in Serie A last season, the expectations at Fluzao in 2023 are high, and they have not delivered much lately.
The Brazilian Guardiola, better known as Fernando Diniz, has seen his group struggle to find the back of the net, without a goal in five successive matches in all competitions, four of which wound up in defeat.
All four of those losses came away from home, while Flu come into this encounter without a goal conceded in consecutive home games and unbeaten in any competitive match played at the Maracana since late January.
Since Diniz took charge in 2022, Fluminense have employed a possession-based system with a short passing, tiki-taka approach, creating plenty of scoring opportunities.
As you might expect, given their style of play, this is a club with plenty of contributors in every position on the football field, as eight players have at least one goal involvement domestically this year, and five have netted on multiple occasions.
When this team get off to an early lead, they have been nearly impossible to catch, winning all but one of their competitive fixtures in 2023 when netting first, with their only slip-up being a 1-1 draw at home to Boavista near the end of January at the Carioca Serie A.
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While Fluminense have struggled to score in recent outings, Bragantino have looked sharp on the back end, without a goal conceded in their last three matches in all competitions.
Under the experienced Pedro Caixinha, this team have been among the most consistent in the league to this point of the campaign, as they are one of only four sides to have suffered just a single defeat so far.
They have reacted well when going behind, looking poised and patient despite those setbacks, and that patience has served them well, with Braga claiming six points when facing a second-half deficit in league play.
Those last three points collected from losing positions have all come away from home in this competition, as they drew the reigning champions Palmeiras (1-1), along with Gremio (3-3) and Cuiaba (1-1).
Despite all of the positives this team have shown us, they still find themselves in the middle of the table (10th), mainly due to their struggles in the air, while often fouling in dangerous areas, tied with Gremio for the most goals allowed among the top 10 sides in the Brasileiro Serie A.
Bragantino have had to play catch-up countless times versus Fluzao, conceding the opener in each of their previous three matches against them, narrowly losing each of those contests by a single goal.
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Team News
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Fluminense will not have Gustavo Apis or Jorge available throughout the summer as they are both recovering from ACL strains, Marrony and Keno might be a couple of weeks away from a return due to thigh problems and Alexsander is nursing a knee injury.
In their previous Serie A home fixture, Ganso and Nino found the back of the net in a 2-0 triumph over Cuiaba, while Fabio only had to make two stops for the clean sheet, his fourth of the competition, tied for first alongside Lucas Perri and Joao Paulo.
German Cano scored in both of their domestic victories versus Braga in 2022, while Jhon Arias was involved in all three of their goals against them.
Bragantino are missing several players at the moment as Leo Ortiz and Raul are dealing with knee issues, Lucas Cunha has a torn ACL, Luan Candido is still recovering from a broken leg and Nacho Laquintana has a broken ankle.
Natan has a sprained knee, Eduardo Santos and Bruninho have sustained thigh injuries and Talisson could miss this encounter due to a sprained ankle.
In their previous domestic encounter, Vitinho notched his first of the Serie A campaign, Juninho Capixaba scored his second and Cleiton only had to make one save for his third successive shutout in all competitions.
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
Fabio; Xavier, Nino, Melo, Guga; Martinelli, Andre; Giovanni, Ganso, Arias; Cano
Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Cleiton; Hurtado, Realpe, Patrick, Capixaba; Evangelista, Jadsom, Mosquera; Vitinho, Sasha, Helinho
We say: Fluminense 2-0 Bragantino
Braga look like a much deeper attacking team than in past seasons, but that atmosphere at the Maracana always seems to overwhelm them, which is why we are giving Flu the edge.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
