Juventude will aim to bounce back from consecutive Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A defeats on Sunday, when they play host to Atletico Goianiense.
Two straight losses have seen Marquinhos Santos's men drop back down to 13th spot in the Brazilian top flight, while their opponents have also moved down the table in recent weeks, now occupying eighth place.
Match preview
© Reuters
In their first season back in the top flight after winning promotion last season, Juventude had a difficult start, picking up just two points from their opening five games.
Marquinhos Santos's men quickly improved though, collecting 10 points from the following four games, starting with a 1-0 win over Sport Recife and a commendable 1-1 draw away against America Mineiro, although the hosts did equalise late to snatch a point, denying Juventude a second straight win.
Nevertheless, they would continue their strong run with back-to-back wins, firstly beating Flamengo 1-0 thanks to Matheus Peixoto's first-half goal before he again got on the scoresheet alongside Paulinho in an important 2-0 home win over strugglers Gremio.
However, they now come into the game on the back of consecutive defeats, after that positive run was put to an end by a 2-0 loss at the hands of Ceara, as Saulo Mineiro and Gabriel Lacerda netted goals soon after half time.
That was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Bahia last time out, as Matheus Bahia netted the only goal of the game in the 79th minute to condemn Juve to their fourth league loss of the season.
As a result, Santos's side have quickly dropped back down to 13th spot, although they do have a five-point cushion between themselves and the bottom four.
Nonetheless, Juventude will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways on Sunday to stop them slipping further down the table, as they take on an Atletico Goianiense side who will aim to pile pressure on the top six.
The visitors enjoyed a particularly strong start to the campaign, collecting 10 points from their opening five games thanks to victories over Corinthians, Sao Paulo and Fluminense.
That positive start was broken by back-to-back defeats though, firstly losing 1-0 to former league leaders Bragantino, as Weverton hit the winner in the final 10 minutes, before they were thrashed 4-1 by Atletico Mineiro away from home.
Eduardo Barroca's side did bounce back from those defeats, as they defeated strugglers Gremio 1-0 thanks to Lucao's 55th-minute goal.
Last time out, the Dragao drew 1-1 at home to Sport Recife, as Arthur drew them level immediately after Marcao had given the visitors the lead at the beginning of the second half.
While they have dropped to eighth place, Atletico Goianiense have a game in hand on six of the seven sides above them, and only sit four points behind fifth-placed Fortaleza, meaning the landscape could quickly change if the Dragao can return to the form they displayed at the beginning of the season.
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Juventude will welcome midfielder Guilherme Castilho back to action on Sunday, after he served a suspension last time out for a red card shown in the defeat to Ceara.
He should retake his place in their favoured 4-2-3-1 system, playing alongside wingers Paulinho and Wescley behind the lone striker.
Matheus Peixoto will continue to lead the line, having found the net in each of the four games prior to Juve's recent back-to-back defeats.
The Atletico GO attack will be led by 21-year-old loanee Lucao, who recently netted his first league goal of the season.
They should remain without Joao Paulo and Ronald, after both remained out of action last time out with injury concerns.
Natanael and Janderson both returned from suspension last time out, with Natanael starting and winger Janderson making an appearance off the bench, and they could both be deployed from the start on Sunday.
Juventude possible starting lineup:
Carne; Michel, Cleberson, Forster, Matheus; Jesus, Kim; Wescley, Castilho, Paulinho; Peixoto
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Fernando; Dudu, Oliveira, Eder, Natanael; Freitas, Maranhao, Baralhas; Janderson, Lucao, Arthur
We say: Juventude 1-2 Atletico Goianiense
While Juventude have shown resilience upon their return to the top flight, they come into Sunday's game in a disappointing run of form, and the visitors could take advantage of that as they aim to take a step towards breaking back into the top six.
Atletico GO will feel they have more than enough quality at their disposal to get past the newly-promoted side, as long as their front three manages to click.
Top tip
Sam Varley
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Atletico Goianiense win with a probability of 44.49%. A win for Juventude had a probability of 28.08% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for an Atletico Goianiense win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.73%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.69%) and 0-2 (8.59%). The likeliest Juventude win was 1-0 (9.55%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.87%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood.
