Fluminense will look to break into the top four of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A table on Saturday, when they travel to take on Sao Paulo.
A four-match unbeaten run has seen the visitors climb within a single point of fourth-placed Palmeiras and third-placed Flamengo, while their hosts have dropped to 11th spot following a dip in form.
Match preview
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After their ninth-placed finish in the Campeonato Serie A, Sao Paulo enjoyed a positive start to the new term, bouncing back from a loss on the opening day with a strong run of form to sit third with four wins and 15 points on the board from eight outings.
They have been unable to sustain that form in recent weeks, though, as the unbeaten streak was brought to an end by a 2-1 defeat in a tough test away at Gremio at the beginning of June, forming the start of a four-match slump in Brazil's top flight in which they have suffered three defeats.
Dorival Junior's men then hosted Palmeiras and were beaten 2-0 before returning to winning ways at home to Athletico Paranaense, with Gabriel Neves and Luciano hitting goals in a 2-1 triumph, before they again fall short in a trip to Cruzeiro in their last league outing last weekend, as a Rafinha own goal in the third minute made the only difference between the sides.
As a result of their disappointing run in recent weeks, the Tricolor Paulista have quickly dropped down to 11th place in the Brasileirao, but they do, at least, head into Saturday's test on the back of a 2-0 triumph over Tigre in their final Copa Sudamericana group stage game, sealing top spot and a round-of-16 place thanks to second-half goals from Juan and Wellington Rato.
Junior's side will now hope to build on that success and turn their league fortunes around, with the chance to quickly climb back into the top half if they make a return to winning ways on Saturday.
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They meet a Fluminense side who travel hoping to break into the top four after a positive run of their own in recent weeks.
The Fluzao enjoyed a strong start to the Campeonato Brasileiro campaign, as they picked up four wins and 13 points from their opening six outings, culminating in consecutive 2-0 triumphs over Cruzeiro and Cuiaba, before they saw their momentum halted by away defeats at the hands of Botafogo and Corinthians in late May.
Since that pair of losses, Fernando Diniz's side have managed to bounce back with another four-game unbeaten run to keep themselves at the top end of Brazil's top flight, firstly beating Bragantino 2-1 thanks to goals from Paulo Henrique Ganso and Felipe Melo, before settling for 2-2 and 1-1 draws with Goias and Atletico Mineiro respectively.
In their last league outing, the Fluzao hosted Bahia last weekend, and they narrowed the gap to Palmeiras in the top four with a 2-1 victory, despite going behind in the first half, as Lele levelled the scores soon after half time and Gabriel Pirani immediately hit the goal that turned out to be decisive.
Thanks to that victory, their sixth of the season in 12 Brasileirao outings, Fluminense now find themselves fifth and just a point worse off than Palmeiras and Flamengo and two behind second-placed Gremio, and on the back of a 1-1 draw with Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores in midweek to seal their first-placed finish and resultant progression to the knockout stage, they will hope to make it back-to-back domestic triumphs to stand a chance of cracking the top four.
Team News
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Sao Paulo will likely come into Saturday's contest with a similar starting XI to the one that featured against Cruzeiro last weekend, with Jonathan Calleri again set to lead the line having contributed five goals and four assists in 15 appearances across league and Copa Sudamericana action so far this season.
One change could be the introduction of Luciano, who will hope to operate in support of the frontman, while the likes of Alisson and Wellington Rato are also vying to play key roles in the attacking line.
Elsewhere, Lucas Beraldo and Robert Arboleda will likely partner up in the middle of a back four, while Jhegson Mendez and Pablo Maia will play key roles in the engine room.
Fluminense head into Saturday's game without centre-back Nino, who was sent off in the first half of their victory over Bahia last weekend and will serve a suspension as a result.
In his absence, Felipe Melo and David Braz will likely have to partner up in the middle of the defence, while Lima, Andre and Matheus Martinelli may be left to fight for two midfield spots again.
German Cano and Lele are both vying to lead the line, while Keno, Paulo Henrique Ganso, Jhon Arias and Gabriel Pirani are among those fighting to feature in support of a lone frontman in a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Nathan, Arboleda, Beraldo, Paulista; Mendez, Maia; Luciano, Alisson, Rato; Calleri
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
Fabio; Xavier, Melo, Braz, Marcelo; Martinelli, Andre; Keno, Pirani, Ganso; Cano
We say: Sao Paulo 1-2 Fluminense
Both teams do boast plenty of quality in their ranks, but the hosts are low on confidence having suffered three league defeats recently, while their visitors have their sights set on second, third and fourth spots, and we envisage Diniz's side having what it takes to come away with all three points.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
