Wednesday will feature Brasileiro Serie A title hopefuls Athletico Paranaense, who will travel to Itaipava Fonte Nova Arena to face Bahia in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil Round of 16 encounter.
Currently, Tricolor are positioned to move back into the Brazilian top flight, sitting third in Serie B, while the reigning Copa Sudamericana champions are in the top four in Serie A following a 1-0 win against Coritiba on Sunday.
Match preview
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If there was a second-tier Brazilian club that experts might believe could still be in contention for the Copa do Brasil crown, Bahia would be near the top of that list, with the team from Salvador making it to the last 16 for the third time in the past four seasons.
Guto Ferreira might not have been able to keep them in the top flight in 2021, but he has them playing relatively sound defensively this year in Serie B, conceding only seven goals after 13 games.
Making it to this stage of the competition proved exceedingly tricky as they needed a second-half comeback to draw Azuriz 1-1, winning 4-3 on penalties.
Collectively, they have been well-balanced as a unit, with plenty of individuals contributing to their success in the second tier as eight players have at least one goal or assist.
Their attack-minded formation has allowed them their share of possession, though they have not always been able to finish off their substantial build-ups with goals, tallying one or fewer times in four of their last five games.
Bahia have become accustomed to nail-biting results, as 13 of their previous 14 matches in all competitions were decided by a goal or fewer.
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For about 45 minutes in the third round of their opening leg, Serie D side Tocantinopolis gave Athletico Paranaense all they could handle, heading into the interval, all nodded at two.
That was as close as they would come, as the 2021 runners-up in this event scored three times in the second half, winning 5-2, then controlled the second leg at home with a comfortable 4-0 triumph.
It is the seventh consecutive year in which Furacao have made it to the last 16 of the Copa do Brasil, capturing their only title to date in 2019.
Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari knows what it takes to win this competition, having lifted this trophy four times as a coach with three different teams, leading Palmeiras to two titles in 1998 and 2012.
While their pass accuracy is not always spectacular, Paranaense have looked composed on the back end, while excellently pressing when teams get in their box.
Rarely do they allow many scoring opportunities, conceding a goal or fewer in eight of their last nine matches in all competitions.
They are an opportunistic side who do not mind waiting until the bitter end to strike, scoring with five minutes or fewer remaining in three of their last four games.
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Team News
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Marcelo Ryan benefitted from a goalkeeping error by Caio, as his equalising goal kept Bahia alive in their previous Copa do Brasil encounter, while he, Daniel, Lucas Falcao and Djalma Silva each found the back of the net in the shootout, while Danilo Fernandes stopped one of the penalties with two others hitting the woodwork.
Matheus Davo leads them in goals and assists domestically with four and three, respectively, while Vitor Jacare has chipped in with three tallies.
Ferreira made two changes to his starting 11 in their 1-0 loss to Chapecoense from the side that began against Operario, as Patrick de Lucca and Matheus Davo replaced Rai and Emerson Santos.
Khellven tallied his first for Paranaense in the domestic campaign deep into injury time this weekend to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions, while a brace from Pablo plus one from Hugo Moura and the aforementioned Brazilian right-back gave them a 4-0 win in the second leg of their third-round Copa do Brasil encounter.
Bento collected a clean sheet in that fixture, David Terans leads them in goals domestically this season with five, while Abner has three assists so far in this 2022 tournament.
Christian is not expected back until next month with a knee problem, Vitinho is nursing a strain in his thigh and Agustin Canobbio has a sore ankle.
Marlos has an issue with his calf, and Thiago Heleno could miss this encounter as he has not fully recovered from a shoulder injury.
Bahia possible starting lineup:
Fernandes; Jonathan, Ignacio, Otavio, Henrique; Santos; Rildo, Daniel, Mugni; Rodallega, Davo
Athletico Paranaense possible starting lineup:
Bento; Abner, Henrique, Felipe, Pedrinho; Cittadini, Erick; Marlos, Terans, Bueno; Pablo
We say: Bahia 0-1 Athletico Paranaense
Bahia will use this match as a measuring stick for what they might be up against next season, should they remain in a position to earn a promotion.
On the opposite side, expect it to be all business for Furacao, who will be hungry to finish what they could not do last season and lift this trophy for a second time.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
