A crucial game in the fight at the top end of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A table will take place on Sunday, as Atletico Mineiro entertain Corinthians.
The visitors moved back up to second place with a win over Coritiba last time out, as their visitors were held to a draw late on, while both find themselves four points off league leaders Palmeiras.
Match preview
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Looking to retain the Brasileiro title they won last season, Atletico Mineiro had a relatively slow start to the new term by their own standards, picking up four wins and 18 points from the opening 12 games.
While that start put Antonio Mohamed's side on the back foot in the fight at the top end of the division, it did not take long for them to improve their standing, as they went on to post three straight league victories over Flamengo, Fortaleza and Juventude, before settling for a point from a goalless draw with Sao Paulo.
The Alvinegro then returned to winning ways in the following outing against Botafogo, with Matias Zaracho hitting the only goal of the game in the second half, before they Cuiaba last time out with the aim of moving closer to top spot.
That game remained goalless until Alan Kardec finally gave Mohamed's side a lead in the 94th minute, but they were unable to hold on as Gabriel Pirani forced a share of the spoils with an equaliser five minutes later.
Such a result may have somewhat dented Atletico Mineiro's confidence, as they have now dropped to third spot behind Sunday's opponents and four points off leaders Palmeiras, but they will know that a victory at the weekend will see them move into a far stronger position in second place, with the chance to cut the gap to the summit.
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They host a Corinthians side keen to post consecutive victories after battling through a mixed run of form in the last month.
Under the new management of Vitor Pereira, the Sao Paulo outfit established themselves in the leading pack with a strong start to the campaign, as they sat on 25 points from 13 outings.
Their momentum was then put on hold by a draw with Santos and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Fluminense, before bouncing back with a 1-0 defeat to Flamengo and suffering another disappointing loss as they were beaten 3-1 away at Ceara.
Looking to put their spell of inconsistency behind them, the Timao hosted Coritiba on Thursday, and they were successful in returning to winning ways as Roger Guedes, Adson and Raul Gustavo got on the scoresheet in a 3-1 victory.
Having now leapfrogged Atletico Mineiro and moved second in the table, only trailing Palmeiras by four points, Corinthians will hope to keep building momentum and ramp up pressure on the league leaders with what would be a crucial win on Sunday.
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Team News
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Atletico Mineiro could remain without star forward Hulk, who has netted seven league goals so far this season, after he was absent from their game against Cuiaba last time out.
Fabio started up front in his absence in that game, but Alan Kardec will be vying to lead the line from the outset after he came off the bench to score an injury-time equaliser.
Whoever operates as the lone striker will be supported by the likes of Matias Zaracho and Chilean international Eduardo Vargas, while Otavio and Jair should continue to partner up at the base of the midfield.
Corinthians could come in with an unchanged starting XI after Thursday's victory, with Roger Guedes again set to lead the line after hitting his sixth league goal of the season.
Despite not hitting the net since his arrival from Arsenal, Willian remains a key man on the wing and will once again play an important role from the outset.
Exciting forward Yuri Alberto made his first appearance for the club last time out after a loan move from Zenit St Petersburg, and he will go in search of a first goal on Sunday.
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Guga, Rabello, Alonso, Arana; Jair, Otavio; Vargas, Zaracho, Ademir; Kardec
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Ramos, Gil, Gustavo, Piton; Cantillo, Maycon; Willian, Rony, Alberto; Guedes
We say: Atletico Mineiro 1-1 Corinthians
With two of the league's strongest sides squaring off, we anticipate a high quality and hotly-contested affair and struggle to pick a winner, with a share of the spoils possible being the most likely outcome as both set up to avoid what would be a harmful defeat.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Sam Varley
