On Wednesday, Coritiba have an opportunity to extend their home winning streak to three games and, more importantly, remain above the relegation zone in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A when hosting Ceara at Estadio Couto Pereira.
For the time being, the only thing separating Coxa from descent into the second tier of Brazilian football is a single victory, while Vovo are just ahead of them by three points after dropping a 2-0 decision to Sao Paulo.
Match preview
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Coritiba are doing just enough to remain in the top flight for now, without consecutive victories or defeats in four successive domestic affairs.
Their form at Estadio Couto Pereira has been their saving grace and perhaps the most significant reason they are not in the relegation zone right now, as all eight of their victories domestically this season have come at home, while they have earned just two points on the road.
Glorioso head into this match having picked up back-to-back clean sheets on their home field, while conceding only once in their last three domestic outings in Curitiba.
Guto Ferreira took charge of this team in the middle of August, and despite a rough opening, losing 5-2 in his debut, the former Ceara coach has brought some stability and structure to this group.
Coxa have not beaten Ceara in a league fixture since the first time the two teams met in 2011, when they came away with a 3-1 victory.
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A five-game unbeaten streak for Ceara came to an end when they fell 2-0 against Sao Paulo in their previous encounter.
That was not only their first defeat this month, but it was also the first match in which they had failed to tally the opener since a 1-0 defeat at home to Fortaleza last month.
In three matches under Lucho Gonzalez, Ceara have been hanging back and sustaining plenty of pressure, conceding a total of 17 efforts on target in those fixtures, though conceding a goal or fewer on two occasions.
Despite rarely playing on the front foot, this team have been much more aggressive since Gonzalez took over, committing 58 fouls in three games, with three expulsions, two of which came in their defeat versus Tricolor Paulista.
Ceara have points in three successive domestic fixtures away from home but have not won a road match in the league since blanking America Mineiro 2-0 back in June.
Team News
Leo Gamalho, who leads Coritiba with seven strikes this season, is without a goal in his last six games but is still ahead of Alef Manga in second by two, with the man on loan from Volta Redonda scoring his fifth of the year in their 2-0 victory over Goianiense, while Fabricio Daniel tallied for only the second time domestically in that encounter.
Gabriel replaced Alex Muralha in that game, stopping four shots for a clean sheet, while Daniel now leads them in assists with three following the departure of Igor Paixao to Feyenoord.
Henrique and Diego Porfirio are both nursing muscle injuries, with Henrique's expected to be healed within a few weeks, while Porfirio could be ready to play in a few days.
Gabriel Boschilia is listed as day-to-day with a sore thigh, Leo Gamalho, who also has an issue with his thigh, could return in early October, while Willian Farias will not be back this season due to a foot injury.
Ceara striker Stiven Mendoza is tied for fourth in the league with nine tallies domestically, Vina and Bruno Pacheco each have two assists and Jo has two goals, including their opener against Flamengo in their previous road game.
Joao Ricardo made four saves in their last match versus Coritiba this year, Cleber is second on the team in goals with three and Lima has netted twice so far this season after scoring three times and adding two assists in 2021.
They could be missing several players through injury, as Rodrigo Lindoso (knee), Cleber (thigh), Kelvyn (calf), Matheus Peixoto (sprained ankle) and Jael (calf) are all expected to be on the sidelines for this game.
Neither Ze Roberto nor Luiz Otavio will be available for selection on Wednesday after they were both red-carded against Sao Paulo.
Coritiba possible starting lineup:
Gabriel; Santos, Castan, Chancellor, Natanael; Gomes, Trindade; Manga, Perez, Galarza; Daniel
Ceara possible starting lineup:
Ricardo; Paraiba, Messias, Lacerda, Luis; Richard, Richardson; Lima, Vina, Mendoza; Jo
We say: Coritiba 1-0 Ceara
Both teams are only narrowly above the relegation line, but the margin is much thinner for Guto Ferreira's men, who have been challenging to break down and compact at home, and we expect their desperation will propel them to three points on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
