Internacional and Juventude return to action in the Copa do Brasil when they square off at the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda in the first leg of their third-round clash on Wednesday.
Both sides locked horns in the semi-finals of the Rio Grande do Sul's Campeonato Gaucho back in March, with the Verdao securing a penalty-shootout victory after a 1-1 aggregate stalemate.
Match preview
© Reuters
Internacional failed to arrest their slump in form as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Vasco da Gama when they squared off at the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda in the Brasileiro Serie A on Sunday.
With nothing to separate the sides after the first half, Vasco da Gama upped the ante after the break as Adson and Lyncon scored in an 11-minute spell to put them two goals up before Fabricio Bustos halved the deficit in the 80th minute.
Eduardo Coudet's men have now failed to taste victory in any of their last four outings, losing twice and claiming two draws since securing back-to-back 1-0 victories over Corinthians and Gremio in June.
Breaching opposing defences has not been a worry for the Colorado, who have scored in each of their last four games, but their struggles have come at the opposite end of the pitch, where they have conceded six goals and failed to keep a clean sheet since June's victory over Gremio.
Internacional, who are currently 10th in the Serie A table, now turn their attention to the Copa do Brasil, where they have enjoyed a solid campaign so far, seeing off Serie D outfits ASA and Nova Iguacu in the opening two rounds.
Lucas Alario and Vitao scored in either half to hand Internacional a 2-0 victory over ASA in their cup opener on February 29, two weeks before casting aside Nova Iguacu 2-0 courtesy of goals from experienced striker Enner Valencia.
© Reuters
Juventude, on the other hand, secured their fifth Serie A win of the season as they hammered Gremio 2-0 when the sides squared off at the weekend.
In a one-sided affair at the Estadio Alfredo Jaconi, Gilberto, Joao Lucas and Erick Farias all found the back of the net to condemn Gremio to their eighth defeat of the season.
Prior to that, Juventude were on a two-match losing run, falling to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Fortaleza on June 30, four days before losing 2-0 against Bahia at the Arena Fonte Nova.
Roger Machado's men now return to action in the Copa do Brasil, where they edged out Serie D side Iguatu to kick off the campaign on February 28, two weeks before picking up a 3-1 victory over second-tier Paysandu in the second round.
Juventude, who are level on 19 points with Internacional in the Serie A table, are seeking a second Copa do Brasil title and their first since their triumph in 1999, when they edged out Botafogo in the final.
The Verdao will need to be at their best on Wednesday as they have lost each of their last four away games, conceding nine goals and scoring three, and have failed to win any of their seven games on the road this season.
- W
- W
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Internacional will take to the pitch without the services of Tiago Maia and Chilean midfielder Charles Aranguiz, who have been ruled out through thigh and ankle injuries respectively
They are joined on the Colorado injury table by goalkeeper Ivan Quaresma, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a severe injury back in January.
Meanwhile, Juventude will take to the pitch without the duo of Edson Carioca and 21-year-old forward Marcelinho, who are currently recuperating from thigh injuries.
Brazilian forward Kleiton has been out of action since coming off injured back in April and the 25-year-old will also play no part in Wednesday's game.
Gilberto scored twice in March's 3-1 victory over Paysandu in the cup and the former Cruzeiro striker should spearhead the Verdao attack once again.
Internacional possible starting lineup:
Fabricio; Bustos, Gomes, Fernando, Rene; Romulo, Henrique, Gomes, Hyora, Patrick; Lucca
Juventude possible starting lineup:
Gabriel; Lucas, Boza, Ze Marcos, Ruschel; Caique, Jadson, Jean; Barbosa, Gilberto, Farias
We say: Internacional 3-1 Juventude
Buoyed by their win over Gremio, Juventude will head into Wednesday's game with confidence as they look to continue their cup run. However, they have struggled for results on the road and we predict that Internacional will return to winning ways at the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
