Corinthians will wrap up the month of September with a chance to move into a top-four position in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A when they host Atletico Goianiense on Wednesday at Corinthians Arena.
Timao are winless in their last three domestic fixtures, losing 1-0 in their previous encounter versus America Mineiro, while Dragao have lost four straight league matches after falling 2-1 versus Internacional.
Match preview
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A mental lapse in the late stages of their match against America kept the side from the Tatuape district of Sao Paulo in fifth place, having now tallied a goal or fewer in three of their last four domestic encounters.
That was the first time that this team had allowed the opening goal in a game since doing so at the beginning of this month against Internacional, as Corinthians are now winless in five successive league fixtures in which they have conceded first.
Manager Vitor Pereira knows it was a missed opportunity for his side, as Flamengo dropped a 2-1 decision to Fluminense, but because of Timao's defeat, they remain a point behind Mengao for a guaranteed place in next year's Copa Libertadores group stage.
The following couple of weeks should present Corinthians with a big opportunity to move up the table, with three of their next four league fixtures taking place at home, where they have points in all but one domestic encounter this season.
They have only suffered one defeat in their last five league matches against the club from Goias, though it has been a different story for them at Corinthians Arena, as Timao are without a home victory versus Dragao in Serie A since 2011.
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Goianiense put up another good fight in their previous encounter, but as has been the case for Jorginho's men throughout this campaign, they came up just short once again.
That 2-1 defeat versus Internacional was the eighth time in this domestic campaign that Atletico lost by a single goal, and a fourth consecutive appearance in the top-flight is starting to slip through their grasp.
Dragao have tallied only once in four matches in all competitions this month, as they seem to have lost their focus since squandering a 2-0 advantage in the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana, eventually losing out to Sao Paulo on penalties.
Six points currently separate them from top-flight salvation, with Atletico searching for their first domestic triumph away from home since surprising Fluminense 2-0 in June.
Heading into matchday 28, Dragao have tallied the third-fewest goals in the league (24) while failing to find the back of the net in five domestic encounters.
Team News
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Renato Augusto scored the winner for Corinthians in their second leg victory versus Fluminense, enabling them to advance into the final of the Copa do Brasil, with Giuliano also scoring, while they were aided by an own goal from Felipe Melo, winning that encounter 3-0.
Roger Guedes leads them with six goals in league play but has not scored domestically since July 20, when his side defeated Coritiba 3-1, while Lucas Piton is first on the team with three assists and Cassio is second in the league for clean sheets (10), two behind Weverton.
Three of their players will be out until early October with injuries, including Ruan Oliveira (ACL), Maycon (broken toe) and Junior Moraes (knee).
Diego Churin had the only goal for Atletico in their defeat against Colorado, his fifth of the campaign, drawing even with Wellington Rato for the team lead, while Airton moved ahead of Marlon Freitas thanks to that goal as he collected his team-leading fourth assists this year.
Gabriel Baralhas, who had four goals domestically a season ago, only has one so far in 2022, Jorge de Moura Xavier, better known as Jorginho, has three goals, while Shaylon tallied three times in their Sudamericana run but only has one in league play.
Ronaldo is out for the remainder of the campaign because of a shoulder injury, and Emerson Santos will not return either after previously suffering a torn Achilles tendon.
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Piton, Gustavo, Mendez, Fagner; Vera; Vital, Giuliano, Ramiro, Adson; Guedes
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Renan; Dudu, Gazal, Klaus, Henrique; Fernando, Maranhao; Airton, Shaylon, Jorginho; Churin
We say: Corinthians 2-0 Atletico Goianiense
Dragao appear to have lost their confidence since they exited the Copa Sudamericana in such devastating fashion against Sao Paulo
Even though Goianiense have collected some positive results at Corinthians Arena, we believe Timao will pull out the victory because they are in much better form, while showing more consistency throughout the domestic campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
