Cuiaba's search for their first victory of the 2024 Brasileiro campaign will continue on Sunday evening, when they head to Estadio Heriberto Hulse to tackle Criciuma.
The visitors are bottom of the table, picking up just one point from their opening six matches, while Criciuma occupy 16th, collecting five points from their opening four games of the campaign.
Match preview
Criciuma secured a return to the top level for the 2024 campaign courtesy of their third-placed finish in Serie B last season, and they have picked up five points from their four league games this term.
Claudio Tencati's side sit down in 16th spot in the table, but they have three games in hand on the teams around them, so their current spot is stronger than it appears on first look.
The Tigers will enter this match off the back of three straight defeats in all competitions, including a 2-1 reverse to Palmeiras in their last league fixture earlier this month.
Criciuma have drawn one and lost one of their two home league games this season, but they will be welcoming a Cuiaba outfit with the worst away record so far in 2024, losing both of their matches.
The Santa Catarina outfit will be locking horns with Cuiaba for the first time since August 2019, when the points were shared in a goalless draw, with the match taking place in the second tier.
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Cuiaba, meanwhile, played out a goalless draw with Vitoria in their last match on Wednesday night, and it proved to be their first point of what has been a tough season to date.
Indeed, Petit's side were beaten in their opening five league games of the campaign, and a single point from six matches has left them at the bottom of the division, one point behind 19th-placed Vitoria.
The Mato Grosso outfit have actually not scored a single goal in the league this season, conceding 11 times in the process, which is a further indication of how disappointing their start has been.
Criciuma have conceded only four times in the league this season, meanwhile, so this is set to be a tough contest for the visitors, who have another seven matches to come before the end of the month.
However, Cuiaba can take heart from the fact that they recorded a 1-0 victory over Criciuma when the two teams last locked horns at Estadio Heriberto Hulse in April 2019.
Team News
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Criciuma will be without the services of two players for Sunday's contest, with Felipe Vizeu and Felipe Mateus both unavailable for selection.
Vizeu was a second-half substitute against Palmeiras last time out, but he had to be replaced in the latter stages, with the Brazilian now being ruled out of this match.
Head coach Tencati could name an unchanged side for this contest, with former Crystal Palace and Everton attacker Yannick Bolasie set to continue in the starting XI.
As for Cuiaba, three players have been ruled out of the match, with Deyverson, Lucas Fernandes and Filipe Augusto in the treatment room.
The goalless draw with Vitoria last time out was certainly a step in the right direction, and it might be a case of same again for head coach Petit in terms of his side.
There could be an alteration at the back, though, with Matheus Alexandre entering at the interval against Vitoria, and he is now in line to come into the XI on Sunday evening.
Criciuma possible starting lineup:
Gustavo; Claudinho, Rodrigo, Angel, Hermes; Barreto, Meritao, Gabriel; Matheusinho, Eder, Bolasie
Cuiaba possible starting lineup:
Walter; Alexandre, Marllon, Empereur, Ramon; Sobral, Mineiro, Max; Eliel, Pitta, Clayson
We say: Criciuma 1-1 Cuiaba
Both sides will view this match as an opportunity to put three points on the board, and it would not be a surprise to see a home or indeed an away win here. The two teams are relatively well-matched, though, and we are expecting the points to be shared in a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
