Palmeiras head into their 10th fixture of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A campaign in second place as they host Botafogo at Allianz Parque on Thursday.
Verdao are unbeaten in their previous 15 matches in all competitions, while Fogo have dropped back-to-back league fixtures and are currently sitting on 12 points.
Match preview
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Their opening match may not have gone according to plan, but since then, just about everything has for Abel Ferreira and his side.
The reigning two-time Copa Libertadores champions have only conceded once domestically on home soil since a 3-2 defeat in their first match versus Ceara, allowing the fewest goals among top-flight sides in Brazil this season (five).
Since the Portuguese man took over, we have seen them reduce their intensive high press, conserving their energy, while often sitting on the halfway line and maintaining a solid mid-block system.
They may not be as aggressive off the ball, but they are by no means timid when it comes to defending, rarely allowing much of any time or space in their third of the field.
One of the things which has made this team successful throughout this year has been their sound positional play, which has allowed them to win their share of second balls.
Palmeiras are masters at closing off space and covering for one another, particularly their wing-backs, who often force the opposition into rushing a decision.
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Luis Castro finally got the start that he was looking for from his players on Monday, but it was not enough to move them up the standings, as they were beaten 2-1 by Goias.
That was the first time all season in which they came away empty-handed from a domestic encounter when tallying first, missing an opportunity to climb into a Copa Libertadores position.
A Estrella solitaria have not looked intimidated away from home, earning eight points in their five fixtures on this current domestic campaign.
In the early part of the season, they have effectively isolated opposing fullbacks into one-on-one situations, putting them under a lot of pressure and capitalising in transition.
Despite possessing a solid attacking presence, Castro has not been pleased with their link-up play between midfield and attack lately, which explains why their scoring has dried up a little, tallying only twice in their previous three games.
Getting the better of Palmeiras is no easy task, but Botafogo have held their own against the Brazilian giants in this competition, earning four out of a possible six points against them in 2020, though they have not beaten them on the road since 2014 (2-0).
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Team News
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In recent weeks, Marcelo Lomba has filled in admirably for Weverton in the Palmeiras goal, stopping the last seven shots that he faced, collecting a clean sheet in a victory at Santos (1-0) while keeping Atletico Mineiro at bay on Sunday (0-0).
Rony and Gustavo Gomez lead them in goals this season with three each, Raphael Veiga has three assists, putting him even with Lucas Piton and Nacho Fernandez for second in the league, while Gustavo Scarpa has a pair of assists and Ze Rafael has doubled his goal output from 2021, netting twice.
Jailson is out for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL, while Palmeiras defender Mayke will not be available until late June because of a tendon injury.
Erison leads Botafogo with five goals this season, putting him in the tie for second in the league alongside Hulk and Marcos Leonardo, while he, Lucas Fernandes, Victor Cuesta and Daniel Borges are tied for first in team assists, having each contributed one.
Gustavo Sauer remains out with an ankle problem, Philipe Sampaio has a knee injury and Carlinhos will not be ready to return until the fall after suffering an ACL strain.
Fogo made three changes to their opening lineup on Monday as Hugo, Tche Tche and Vinicius Lopes replaced Renzo Saravia, Romildo Del Piage and Chay, who all started in their 1-0 defeat to Coritiba in late May.
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Rocha, Luan, Kuscevic, Piquerez; Menino, Ze Rafael; Lopes, Veiga, Scarpa; Rony
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Saravia, Kanu, Cuesta, Carlinhos; Piazon, Oyama, Tche Tche; Nascimento, Erison, Sa
We say: Palmeiras 2-0 Botafogo
Traditionally when these teams meet, we are in for a close encounter with little separating them, and we anticipate a similar game on Thursday.
At the moment, it seems as though you need to be close to perfect to defeat Palestra, who have thrived off patience and frustrating teams in their third of the field.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
