Preview: Corinthians vs. Palmeiras - prediction, team news, lineups

On Saturday, Brazil will witness the next instalment of one of the fiercest rivalries as Corinthians face Palmeiras in the Paulista derby,

Corinthians are unbeaten in their last seven games, while Palmeiras have lost four of their last six matches, but they are still in the title hunt as they sit seven points adrift of Atletico Mineiro in top spot.

Match preview

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Corinthians enter the fixture on an incredible run having not lost since the start of August and that has helped them rise to sixth position with 30 points to their name.

However, their progress has been slightly halted in their last three games as they have experienced three successive 1-1 draws against Juventude, Atletico Goianiense and America Mineiro.

The major factor in their success is their solid defence that has restricted opposition attacks to only 18 goals this season, and in their last seven games, they have only conceded on four occasions.

Surprisingly, one area of weakness for Corinthians has been their home form, as at Neo Quimica Arena they have only won twice in the league this term.

Saturday's hosts would love nothing more than to collect their third home league win against their biggest rivals, and top scorer Jo will be crucial to the hosts picking up the three points.

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Palmeiras currently occupy second position, but their title charge has faltered of late as they have only collected six points from their last six league games.

They also face the challenge of balancing domestic football with featuring in the latter stages of the Copa Libertadores - a trophy they are trying to retain.

Last weekend, they won 2-0 away to Chapecoense courtesy of first-half goals from Raphael Veiga and Luiz Adriano, and then instead of focusing on an important derby game, they had to play a crucial Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg against Atletico Miniero during the week, which ended goalless.

Palmeiras will enter the fixture in excellent away form having won four of their last six league away games and in that period they have scored eight goals, while only conceding on three occasions.

In addition, they have only suffered one defeat in their last five competitive visits to Neo Quimica Arena, which will give the visitors confidence heading into the crucial fixture.

Team News

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Corinthians are without Adson, who is unavailable due to a leg problem.

In addition, Ruan is a long-term absentee as he recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Gabriel will miss the game after picking up his third booking of the season last time out, so he will serve a suspension, which means Sylvinho could bring Xavier into the starting lineup on Saturday.

Palmeiras are still without Vinicius, who is a long-term absentee.

Abel Ferreira will be wary of his players suffering with fatigue having played midweek, but for such an important fixture he is unlikely to make many changes from the lineup that started in the Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg.

Corinthians possible starting lineup:

Cassio; Fagner, Victor, Gil, Santos; Giuliano, Xavier, Pereira; Guedes, Willian, Jo

Palmeiras possible starting lineup:

Weverton; Rocha, Gomez, Luan, Piquerez; Melo, Ze Rafael, Veiga; Rony, Dudu, Adriano

We say: Corinthians 1-1 Palmeiras

Most derby games are close, and we expect this one to be no different and although Corinthians are in fine form they know that Palmeiras will cause them problems, so with both teams not wanting to lose to their bitter rivals we think this one will end all square.