Atletico Goianiense can put a little distance between themselves and the relegation zone when they head to Arena Conda on Friday for a match against Chapecoense in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A.
Chape are still without a win at home in this domestic campaign after falling 3-1 to Gremio last Saturday, while Dragao have earned a single point in four straight games as they let a one-goal lead slip away on Tuesday, drawing 1-1 with Juventude.
Match preview
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It is not the first time that it has been mentioned but Chapecoense were poor once again this week, losing for a third successive match as they remain in dead last and do not have a chance to move out of that spot before the end of the year.
Felipe Paiva Endres has changed up his tactics over the past two matches, going with a 4-5-1 to try to provide more support for Henrique Almeida, who has played as their lone striker up high.
While that formation has created more scoring opportunities, that quality in the final third is missing, with their lone tally in their previous three matches coming through an own goal, while their wide midfielders have forgotten their defensive responsibilities far too often.
Only four matches remain for them to try and salvage some positives from their 2021 top-flight experience, winning only one game while losing 21.
Having accumulated only 15 points so far, they will not be in Serie A beyond this season, but with a win on Friday, they would avoid setting the all-time Brasileiro top-flight record for the fewest points in a domestic campaign, a mark which was set by America Mineiro in 2007 when they picked up a mere 17 points.
Atletico missed an opportunity to move further up the table on Tuesday as they fired eight shots on target but could only find the back of the net once.
Throughout the campaign, they have done just enough to stay above the relegation line, and with four games to go, they may be able to remain in the top flight for another year, currently four points clear of that line, but they still have work to do.
Although it is still a distinct possibility that they could drop down into the second tier of Brazilian football for the first time since 2019, there is still the potential for Eduardo Souza's side to make it to the Copa Sudamericana next year as they are only a point back of Santos for that final position.
Like Chape, this team do not have a lot of imagination or creative midfield players who can provide quality service to their strikers, and they do not have much depth up top.
Goianiense have been outscored 9-0 over their previous six road matches, so they will not be full of confidence even though they are facing the worst team in Brazil at the moment.
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Team News
Laercio found the back of the net for the first time this season in the last match, but unfortunately for him and Eternos Campeoes, it was on his own goal, as the 28-year-old centre-back, along with Ezequiel, Ignacio and Busanello, were put under a lot of pressure against Gremio and did not get a lot of help from their five midfielders.
Vagner will not play because of a ruptured knee ligament, Tiepo continues to nurse a knee injury and Anderson Leite will be suspended after picking up a yellow card in their earlier match this week.
Ze Roberto picked up his team-leading sixth goal of the season for Goianiense in their 1-1 draw with Juventude, moving him two ahead of Joao Paulo.
Arthur Henrique replaced Jefferson on defence on Tuesday, while Luan Polli was called upon to replace Fernando Miguel in goal in the opening half.
Chapecoense possible starting lineup:
Paulo; Ezequiel, Coser, Ignacio, Busanello; Mike, Gomes, Ribeiro, Lima, Nunes; Silva
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Polli; Dudu, Eder, Henrique, Arnaldo; Freitas, Maranhao; Janderson, Luis, Barbosa; Ze Roberto
We say: Chapecoense 0-0 Atletico Goianiense
These teams are near the bottom of the table for a reason, mainly due to a lack of production in the final third as Goianiense and Chape are the second and third-lowest scoring sides respectively in Serie A, so we expect this will be a tight and tentative game for both teams.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
