After earning their first road victory of the current Brasileiro Serie A campaign, Avai can win consecutive league fixtures for the first time this year when hosting Fortaleza on Thursday at Estadio da Ressacada.
The club from Santa Catarina tallied late in the opening half on Monday, defeating Botafogo 1-0, while Leao do Pici remain bottom of the table with seven points.
Match preview
© Reuters
When everything seems to be going against you, sometimes all it takes is a moment of magic to turn it all around, and that is what happened to Avai on Monday.
A brilliant curling free-kick from Kevin was all they would need to best Botafogo, moving from a relegation position into 10th place.
With another victory on Thursday, they could be as high as fifth in the table, putting them into a Copa Libertadores qualifying position for next season, pending the other results.
Ending a five-match winless run with a moment of individual brilliance was certainly a welcomed sight for manager Eduardo Barroca, whose side held strong defensively, despite conceding seven shots on target to Fogo.
They may have held their nerve on the back end in that encounter, but Time da Raca tend to lose their cool late in matches with so much at stake, collecting a red card in three of their last four fixtures beyond the 85th minute of play.
The majority of the results recently have not gone their way, but these players know how to hang around and compete, as their previous nine league games were decided by a goal or fewer.
© Reuters
Fortaleza continue to chip away at their relegation deficit, claiming five points in their last three league fixtures, currently sitting five points behind the final Serie A position for next season.
On Sunday, Juan Pablo Vojvoda saw his side with the bulk of the opportunities, holding Athletico Paranaense without a shot on target, though they failed to find the back of the net themselves despite firing six shots on target and having 64% of the possession.
That was not the first time this aggressive team let numerous great build-up plays go to waste, as the Northeastern Brazilian club have failed to score in five Serie A matches this year.
Their only victory in the 2022 Brasileiro campaign came away from home earlier this month as they tallied in injury time to defeat Flamengo 2-1.
Two of their final three league games this month will be on the road, so they will need to maintain the same solid shape that they showed against Flamengo, where they allowed just three efforts on target despite having only 34% possession.
Even though this is a high-energy team who consistently press, they do like to keep control of the ball and pass it around at times, although Fortaleza seem to have more success when relying on a quick counterattacking approach.
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
- D
- D
- W
- D
- L
- W
- D
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Bruno Silva will be out of this encounter for Avai following his expulsion deep into injury time on Monday, while Douglas only had to make two saves to collect a clean sheet in that fixture.
Bissoli has proven to be a valuable asset, as the man on loan from Athletico Paranaense leads this team with four tallies, one more than Muriqui, while Morato has two.
Diego Matos missed their previous encounter with a red card suspension, while Jean Pyerre and Bressan were ruled out with thigh injuries.
Anthony Landazuri, Marcelo Benevenuto, Titi and Juninho Capixaba were stingy at the back for Fortaleza, as goalkeeper Marcelo Boeck did not have to make a single stop to earn a shutout on Sunday.
Hercules notched the winner in their only victory to date in this campaign, and Robson remains without a goal this year after tallying 10 times last season.
One of their primary providers a year ago, Lucas Crispim, continues to search for an assist in 2022 after finishing tied with Yago Pikachu for the team lead last season.
Tinga remains a question mark because of a calf strain, and Matheus Vargas could be ready to go after being out previously with a thigh injury.
Avai possible starting lineup:
Douglas; Cortez, Chaves, Raniele, Kevin; Galdezani, Eduardo, Cleber; Romulo, Bissoli, Pottker
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Boeck; Ricardo, Benevenuto, Titi, Capixaba; Welison, Jussa; Pikachu, Lima, Crispim; Robson
We say: Avai 1-1 Fortaleza
At times these teams have shown that they are capable of being potent in the attacking third, but consistency has not been a feature for either side so expect to see a tight match between two squads who have not conceded much in their recent fixtures.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
