Atletico Goianiense have a chance to move out of the relegation zone with a victory on Saturday at Atletico Clube Goianiense Stadium versus Corinthians.
Dragao are unbeaten in their previous four matches played in all competitions, while Timao are currently in a three-way tie for the top spot in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A after being held to a draw last weekend for a third successive league fixture.
Match preview
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Slowly but surely, the club from Goiania are climbing their way out of relegation danger, collecting a point in four of their last six league games.
Since the arrival of Jorginho as manager, these players have shown a relentless resolve, which has eventually paid off, scoring with 11 minutes remaining to earn a draw against Internacional on Monday (1-1) after firing home a late goal in each half the previous week to defeat Coritiba (2-0).
For the time being Goianiense are doing just enough to get by, scoring a goal or fewer in all but one of their eight league fixtures this season.
They have not shown a lot of attacking qualities this year, but that has not mattered in recent home games, where Dragao have managed to collect two successive clean sheets in all competitions.
Goianiense have never beaten Corinthians on their current home field though, with their last home triumph against them coming at Estadio Serra Dourada.
Atletico still sustain their share of pressure in their third of the field, but they seem to be doing a better job at managing that intensity as their defenders have been in the correct positions to block plenty of clear-cut scoring opportunities.
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The season is still young, however, an eighth Brasileiro Serie A title is still very much in the cards for Vitor Pereira and Corinthians.
Pereira has a winning track record during his time with FC Porto, winning a pair of domestic championships in Portugal, and he will hope to replicate the recent success of other Portuguese managers like Abel Ferreira, who has led Palmeiras to back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles.
Corinthians are off to their best start to a domestic campaign since 2017, when they went unbeaten in their opening 19 matches en route to being crowned Brasileiro Serie A champions later that year.
While there is a lot to like about how aggressive and forward-thinking they are in their approach, Timao have had to dig themselves out of several holes lately, trailing four times in their previous three league encounters, but still managing to earn a single point every time.
Even though their only defeat came away from home, they have usually maintained their focus in enemy territory, with half of their victories coming on the road.
Pereira has called on his players to be more aggressive when it comes to closing down attacking players, using a more man-oriented system which has made it difficult for opposing teams to penetrate their backline.
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Team News
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Diego Churin, who is on loan from Gremio, scored the equaliser near the beginning of the week for Dragao in their draw versus Internacional, while Leo Pereira picked up his first assist of the new campaign.
They are still trying to get one of their key contributors from last season on track, as Gabriel Baralhas, their second leading goalscorer from 2021, has yet to tally this year.
We saw Baralhas, Airton and Churin all return to the starting lineup for their fixture on Monday, replacing Edson, Pereira and Shaylon.
On Sunday, Gustavo Silva notched his first of the year for Corinthians, helping his side draw America Mineiro 1-1, while Roger Guedes leads them in goals this season with three tallies after eight matches.
The only contribution from Jo so far this year has been one goal, which has to be disappointing knowing that he finished tied for the team lead in goals and assists last season, while Cassio is currently tied for second in the league when it comes to clean sheets with three, two fewer than Weverton and Alex Muralha.
We usually see a very different looking lineup for this team when transitioning from the Copa Libertadores to this domestic competition, and that was the case last Sunday.
Cassio, Rafael Ramos, Raul Gustavo, Fabio Santos, Du Queiroz, Renato Augusto, Guedes and Willian all featured in the starting 11 versus America Mineiro.
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Ronaldo; Jefferson, Ramon, Wanderson, Hayner; Edson, Freitas; Pereira, Jorginho, Shaylon; Churin
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Ramos, Gil, Gustavo, Piton; Giuliano, Queiroz, Augusto; Guedes, Silva, Willian
We say: Atletico Goianiense 1-1 Corinthians
We have seen a lot more structure and organisation to the Dragao defence since Jorginho arrived, and although Corinthians possess plenty of quality individuals, they have started slowly in recent matches and seem to be a little out of sync when trailing, having to be bailed out by some of their talented players.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
