In a thrilling all-Brazilian affair, Corinthians and Flamengo will get the ball rolling in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarter-final fixtures when they lock horns at the Neo Quimica Arena on Tuesday.
Both sides last met in the continental showpiece back in 2010, when the Rubro-Negro progressed to the quarter-finals on penalties following a 2-2 aggregate draw over two legs.
Match preview
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Corinthians picked up a third win on the bounce in the Brazileiro Serie A on Saturday when they saw off a dogged Botafogo side 1-0 on home turf.
In an action-packed contest at the Corinthians Arena, 24-year-old midfielder Gustavo Silva came up trumps as he scored the only goal of the game in the 27th minute to hand the visitors their 10th defeat of the season.
Prior to that, Vítor Pereira's side suffered a huge blow in their hunt for the Copa do Brasil title as they fell to a 2-0 loss against Atletico Goianiense in the first leg of their quarter-final clash on July 28.
Time do Povo now turn their attention to the Copa Libertadores, where they edged out Boca Juniors on penalties in the round of 16 after a goalless draw in both home and away games against the Argentine outfit.
Corinthians head into Tuesday unbeaten on home turf since February's 2-1 loss against Santos in round three of the Serie A and will look to continue in the same vein as they take their first step towards securing a place in the last-four of this year's continental showpiece.
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Like the hosts, high-flying Flamengo maintained their impressive run of results in the Brazilian top flight last time out when they brushed aside Atletico Goianiense 4-1 at the Maracana Stadium.
Dorival Junior's men put four goals past the visitors inside the opening 45 minutes courtesy of Lazaro, Marinho, Arturo Vidal and Victor Hugo, before 30-year-old Wellington Rato grabbed an 82nd-minute consolation.
They are now unbeaten in each of their last six games across all competitions, including four consecutive wins in the Serie A, where they are currently fifth in the standings, five points off Tuesday's hosts in second place.
Flamengo now head to the Copa Libertadores, where they have enjoyed an unbeaten run in their quest for a third title, picking up an impressive seven wins and one draw from their six games so far.
Off the back of an emphatic 8-1 aggregate win over Deportes Tolima in the round of 16, next up for the Rubro-Negro is the first step towards securing a place in this year's quarter-finals as they look to go a step further than their 2021-22 campaign, where they fell to a 2-1 loss against Palmeiras in the final.
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Team News
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Corinthians will take to the pitch without the midfield duo of Gustavo Mantuan and 34-year-old Renato Augusto, who are currently recuperating from knee and calf injuries respectively.
Twenty-three-year old defender Raul Gustavo is also out of contention for Time do Povo after missing the Serie A game against Botafogo on Saturday through a thigh problem.
Experienced forward Luan will also play no part in Tuesday's game as he continues his long journey to full fitness after picking up a severe injury back in February, while former Barcelona man Paulinho sustained an ACL injury back in May.
While Flamengo's injury list is relatively lighter, they will have to make do without veteran goalkeeper Diego Alves after the 37-year-old picked up a groin problem in the cup game against Atletico Mineiro back in June.
Junior will also be unable to call upon the duo of defender Rodrigo Caio and 31-year-old forward Bruno Henrique, who have been sidelined due to knee injuries.
Pedro was an unused substitute in the win over Atletico Goianiense last time out, but the 25-year-old forward, who is currently the joint-top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with seven goals, could return to the starting side on Tuesday.
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Ramos, Gil, Gustavo, Piton; Cantillo, Maycon; Willian, Rony, Alberto; Guedes
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Santos; Rodinei, Luiz, Pereira, Luis; Maia, Vidal; Ribeiro, Hugo, Pedro; Barbosa
We say: Corinthians 1-2 Flamengo
Tuesday's game sees two domestic rivals who are quite familiar with each other lock horns and this makes for an entertaining and exciting watch. While Corinthians and Flamengo both head into Tuesday in solid form, we are backing the visitors to do just enough to leave with a slender victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
