Bragantino and Fluminense are separated by 10 places in the Brasileiro table heading into Sunday's gameweek 20 encounter at Estadio Nabi Abi Chedid.
The away side are seemingly picking up form after a wretched start to the campaign, and they aim to continue their ongoing encouraging sequence of results against their top-half hosts.
Match preview
© Reuters
Bragantino's away results make you doubt their competence, but examining their results in front of their fans highlights why they rank in the division's top 10.
Six of their seven victories this term have been on home turf, with only one loss in eight matches in Sao Paulo.
They have notched four consecutive victories as hosts and seek a fifth straight triumph when they welcome relegation-threatened visitors.
Only Atletico Mineiro have beaten Pedro Caixinha's team on home soil so far this season, and the Braga aim to keep it that way this weekend.
Despite Fluminense's lowly ranking, the home side must not underrate their opponents, with the mood different in Rio de Janeiro over recent weeks.
The turnaround has coincided with Mano Menezes taking the reins at Flu, underscored by the second-bottom club losing just one of their five matches under the new boss.
Having defeated draw kings Cuiaba 1-0 in gameweek 18, the 19th-based club followed that up with a stunning triumph over consecutive Brasileiro winners Palmeiras.
Doubly important for Nense were the clean sheets in both wins, having failed to keep opponents out in the opening months of the season, and they now aim to climb the standings after back-to-back victories.
With seven points notched from the last nine — and four secured from six on the road — success this weekend potentially takes Fluminense out of the bottom, even if that is contingent on Cuiaba losing to Athletico Paranaense.
Team News
© Imago
Cleiton is suspended for Bragantino after his sending-off in the home side's last league match against Paranaense on July 21.
Also absent for the Sao Paulo-based club are Juninho Capixaba, Jadsom and Nathan Camargo (all knee injuries) as well as Pedro Henrique, Eduardo Sasha and Talisson, who have thigh issues.
Thiago Santos will serve a one-game suspension after accumulating three yellow cards with his last booking against Palmeiras.
Missing through injury for Flu are Alexsander and Manoel (both have thigh issues), David Terans and Felipe Melo (calf injuries) and Lucas Calegari (ankle).
Fluminense's clean sheets have coincided with Thiago Silva's second coming at the club, and the former Chelsea defender aims for a third consecutive shutout on Sunday.
Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Lucao; N. Mendes, D. Mendes, Santos, Candido; Fernandes, Evangelista; Helinho, Lincoln, Vitinho; Borbas
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
Fabio; Xavier, Silva, Ignacio, Barbosa; Martinelli, Andre; Arias, Ganso, Serna; Cano
We say: Bragantino 1-1 Fluminense
While Fluminense are seemingly resurgent, facing Bragantino at Nabizao should pose a different challenge to the away side. We are backing the visitors' undefeated road run to continue, but a third straight win may not materialise.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
