Ceara will have revenge on their minds Wednesday as they face their biggest rivals Fortaleza in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil Round of 16 clash at Castelao.
A year ago, Leao do Pici knocked Vozao out of this competition, winning the second leg of that third-round tie 3-0 after the opening fixture finished 1-1.
Match preview
© Reuters
The domestic campaign has been disappointing for Fortaleza, sitting near the bottom of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A table after finishing in the top four a year ago.
They had no trouble making it beyond the third round of this tournament for a second successive season, defeating third-tier side Vitoria 4-0 on aggregate.
Their performances in this competition and the Copa Libertadores may be the one saving grace for manager Juan Pablo Vojvoda, who might be in danger of being sacked because of their struggles domestically.
At this tournament in 2021, Fortaleza were able to use home field to their advantage, making it all the way to the semi-finals thanks to a 3-1 victory at Castelao against Sao Paulo after the opening leg of that quarter-final ended in a 2-2 draw.
So far, at this year's Copa do Brasil and the Libertadores, Clube da Garotada have been able to get some solid play from their wing-backs, who have managed to push high, providing them with lots of width and space.
Meanwhile, their centre-backs have laid low, making vital interceptions, while their central midfielders have done well to occupy half-spaces, two areas which have been a struggle for them this year in the Brazilian top-flight.
© Reuters
If there is one area which has seen improvement in Ceara under new boss Marquinhos Santos, it would be their defensive shape, posting consecutive clean sheets in his two matches in charge since replacing Dorival Junior.
Earlier this month, with Junior still at the helm, they took advantage when Fortaleza were reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute, firing seven efforts on target in an impressive 1-0 victory, the second of three road wins for them in the Brasileiro Serie A this year.
Even though their new coach has tried to play a more attack-minded style, his players have failed to create enough overloads to isolate their wing-backs enough in 1v1 situations, producing two 0-0 draws.
Their 4-3-3 setup has created more natural triangles and passing options for them, while so far, the midfielders have done a better job when it comes to covering those wide areas of the field which were often exposed in transition early on in this domestic campaign.
In the previous round of this competition, they scored a goal in the first and second half in each of their two legs against second-tier side Tombense to advance to the round of 16 for the second time in three years.
Vovo are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions and have not conceded a first-half tally in six consecutive encounters.
- W
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- D
- D
Team News
© Reuters
A brace from Silvio Romero and a goal from Moises gave Fortaleza a comfortable advantage heading into the second leg of their third-round Copa do Brasil tie, while an injury-time tally from Yago Pikachu earned them a 1-0 triumph in the second match against Vitoria last month. The 30-year-old midfielder also had their only strike on Sunday in their 1-0 win over America Mineiro, moving them out of the Brasileiro Serie A basement.
Last season at this tournament, a tally from Felipe, plus a pair of goals from David, proved decisive as that was enough to see them oust Ceara in round three, winning 3-0, while Max Walef and Marcelo Boeck each started one match against the team from Salvador.
Tinga remains out for Leao do Pici with a ligament issue, while Matheus Vargas might not be back until late June because of a thigh injury.
Ceara midfielder Vina has three goals in this competition, one fewer than Edu of Cruzeiro for first, while Joao Ricardo has yet to concede in their four matches played - he and Vinicius Machado have each collected a clean sheet in their last two domestic encounters.
Cleber put Ceara in front after 10 minutes in the first leg of their tie with Fortaleza last season, only to have Wellington Paulista, who currently features with America Mineiro, equalise with fewer than 20 minutes remaining.
Richard Coelho missed their 0-0 draw versus Cuiaba due to a yellow card suspension, Richard continues to nurse a hamstring strain, while Detinho and Leo Rafael could both be a few weeks away due to thigh injuries.
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Boeck; Capixaba, Benevenuto, Ceballos, Landazuri; Lima, Jussa, Felipe, Pikachu; Robson, Romero
Ceara possible starting lineup:
Ricardo; Kelvyn, Messias, Otavio, Buiu; Wescley, Lindoso, Vina; Jael, Cleber, Erick
We say: Fortaleza 1-0 Ceara
Neither side were tested in the earlier rounds of this competition, and while Fortaleza have been poor in the final third domestically this season, they have been a little sharper in that department lately.
In contrast, Ceara have not been as aggressive or potent lately given their style of play, which we believe will prove costly in this game.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
