Gameweek 21 in the fiercely competitive Brasileiro will see Athletico Paranaense playing host to Gremio at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba on Sunday evening.
The hosts have managed 32 points over the first 18 matchdays this season and are eighth in the league standings, while the visitors are now on 18 points and in 16th place.
Match preview
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Athletico Paranaense will enter this match fresh off a 2-0 win over Bragantino in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil round of 16 tie in midweek, which was a result that marked their third win in a row in all competitions.
During that run, Furacao beat Cuiaba on the road in the league and also booked their place in the last 16 of the Copa Sudamericana with a 2-1 second-leg win over Paraguayan outfit Cerro Porteno.
With eight wins, four draws and six losses to date, Athletico trail Sao Paulo, who hold the final Copa Libertadores qualification spot, by four points, though they have played two games fewer than most of the sides around them.
Fair to say, it has been a positive start to life in Parana for Martin Varini, who replaced Cuca as head coach last month, with the new boss posting a record of four wins, one draw and only one defeat in his first six matches in charge.
Additionally, Furacao have won all three home games since Varini's arrival and scored two or more goals in each of those matches, following a run of four games without victory under his predecessor.
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Meanwhile, after finishing the 2023 Brasileiro season just two points behind league champions Palmeiras, Gremio have had to endure a very challenging campaign this year, which they have spent mainly below the dotted line.
However, their fall from grace has not been entirely due to poor performance, as the side have had to contend with having to play their home matches at a neutral venue after Gremio Arena was deemed unplayable following the torrential floods earlier this year.
Despite this, Imortal Tricolor have begun to find their rhythm again in recent weeks and enter this contest unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions (W2 D2 L0), while maintaining clean sheets in three of those games.
Last time out in the league, Renato Gaucho's side edged Vasco da Gama to a 1-0 victory, which took them to 18 points in as many games and saw them move out of the drop zone for the first time this season.
They will now hope to carry the same type of form on the road with them, where they have not won a single game this term, losing six and drawing two of their eight outings, which is the joint-worst record in the top flight alongside Juventude.
Team News
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Athletico Paranaense have just one confirmed absentee for this weekend's encounter with Gremio in the form of Felipinho, who has taken ill and is only expected to return to action next month.
Gonzalo Mastriani is the current leading goalscorer for Furacao this season and will likely lead the line this weekend alongside Bruno Zapelli, who scored the opener in midweek against Bragantino.
Diego Costa, brought in to replace Luis Suarez this season, has now missed 15 matches due to a hamstring injury, though reports suggest he could be closing in on a return to first-team training in the next couple of weeks.
Rodrigo Caio is set to miss this match with a muscle injury, while Andre Henrique, Lucas Mila and Jhonata Robert have all been ruled out until the end of August with knee injuries.
Athletico Paranaense possible starting lineup:
Linck; Godoy, Rocha, Heleno; Esquivel; Fernandinho, Carvalho, Cuello, Cannobbio; Zapelli, Mastriani
Gremio possible starting lineup:
Marchesin; Ely, Kannemann, Jemerson; Pedro, Villasanti, Dodi, Reinaldo; Pavon, Cristaldo, Soteldo
We say: Athletico Paranaense 2-2 Gremio
While Gremio continue to battle the drop and have a very poor away record this season, they have begun to show signs of life in recent weeks, and we feel they will continue their upward trajectory by claiming a share of the spoils in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
