Leaders Bragantino host struggling Cuiaba on Wednesday, seeking to extend a fine start to their Campeonato Brasileiro campaign.
Unbeaten in Serie A so far, the Red Bull-backed club have won six of their first nine fixtures as they aim for a first-ever title, while their visitors are yet to win and find themselves languishing in the relegation zone.
Match preview
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After a goalless draw at home to modest Ceara last Thursday - having had nearly two-thirds of possession - Bragantino got back to winning ways at the weekend, with a 2-1 win at slumbering giants Sao Paulo.
That hard-earned victory should serve to continue Braga's building momentum, heading into a fortnight when they will face second-placed Athletico Paranaense and then return to Copa Sudamericana action - meeting Colombia's America de Cali in the last 16.
First, though, Mauricio Barbieri's side entertain lowly Cuiaba fresh from a comeback win at the iconic Morumbi - the latest of several successes against traditional giants of the Brazilian game.
Clearly enjoying their role as provincial upstarts, Bragantino went behind to Emiliano Rigoni's first-half strike for the hosts, but replied with interest after the break, as Alerrando and Artur provided an 'AA' recovery service.
With the addition of those two latest goals, the 2019 Serie B champions' healthy haul of 19 is the best return of any top-flight team so far, as they average over two goals per game despite their top scorer Ytalo having netted just four times to date.
That indicates a team capable of scoring from all quarters, with any of Barbieri's charges posing a danger to the opponents' goal. In fact, Braga already have 11 different goalscorers from their nine opening games - so will be confident of adding more on Wednesday.
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Founded as a professional outfit just 20 years ago, Cuiaba were only promoted to Serie B in 2019, before gaining a place in the top tier of the Campeonato Brasileiro for the first time this season.
The only team from the central state of Mato Grosso to reach the elite since 1986 have endured a steep learning curve so far, as they sit near the bottom of the early-season standings.
In all, the Dourado have tallied only four points and four goals from their first nine fixtures, with only their relatively solid defensive record keeping them away from the foot of the table.
Sunday's 1-0 defeat at home to title contenders Atletico Mineiro was certainly no disgrace for Luiz Fernando Iubel's side, though it was their second successive loss in the space of three days.
Iubel has been unable to inspire his men to create many scoring opportunities - failing to rack up more than four shots on target in any of their league matches to date - but they did have the lion's share of possession last time out; unfortunately conceding to Atletico's only shot on target.
With still plenty of time to make up lost ground, Cuiaba will nonetheless be keen to get their bandwagon rolling soon, but upcoming clashes with Ceara and Chapecoense might prove more realistic targets than this midweek clash with high-flying opposition.
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Team News
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On Wednesday, Bragantino are again set to be without striker Jan Hurtado - whose period of international duty at the Copa America ended recently when Venezuela exited the competition - as his loan deal from Boca Juniors expired and has yet to be renegotiated.
Nevertheless, four-goal top scorer Ytalo will lead the line again versus Cuiaba, but is under pressure to boost his modest tally so far - especially as former Atletico Mineiro forward Alerrando found the net as a substitute last time out.
Meanwhile, on-loan full-back Luan Candido is yet to return from his thigh strain, while both Gabriel Novaes and Bruno Tubarao - who continues his recovery from a serious ankle injury - are expected to remain out of action too.
Cuiaba, on the other hand, hope to have a clean bill of health for their daunting trip to Braganca, and will have winger Clayson back in the fold, after he missed Sunday's defeat due to suspension. Therefore, Camilo - currently on loan from Ligue 1's Lyon - could miss out, with former Bordeaux wide man Jonathan Cafu another candidate to start on the flank.
Leading scorer Elton is without a goal in his last three outings, but manager Luiz Fernando Iubel is likely to keep faith with the well-travelled veteran - perhaps charging him with the burden of playing the lone frontman role away from home.
Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Cleiton; Aderlan, Bruno, Natan, Edimar; Evangelista, Raul; Artur, Zirlo, Praxedes; Ytalo
Cuiaba possible starting lineup:
Walter; Lucas, Conceicao, Paulao, Hernandez; Cafu, Yuri, Correia, Pepe, Clayson; Elton
We say: Bragantino 2-0 Cuiaba
Bragantino keep on exceeding expectations and should be nailed on to maintain their unbeaten start to the Serie A season on Wednesday. They can find goals from any one of several candidates, and are set to continue their upward trajectory in a ground-breaking campaign for the club.
Also relative newcomers to the big-time, Cuiaba lack the financial clout their hosts can boast, so will fall to another loss and post a further blank scoresheet too.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bragantino win with a probability of 49.81%. A draw had a probability of 25.5% and a win for Cuiaba had a probability of 24.65%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bragantino win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.37%) and 2-0 (9.31%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.12%), while for a Cuiaba win it was 0-1 (7.85%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.1% likelihood.
