It is a top-of-the-table clash this Sunday at the Allianz Parque as current league leaders Palmeiras look to bounce back from their recent 0-0 draw as they host third-placed Fortaleza.
The visitors head into this fixture on the back of a defeat in their last league outing, yet sitting just five points behind Palmeiras, they shall be aiming to continue their impressive start to the season.
Match preview
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Despite losing their last game against Ceara, Fortaleza will be travelling to Palmeiras having won their previous four games without conceding a goal, which has helped them climb the league table.
Juan Pablo Vojvoda only took charge of the club in May, but he has created a tremendous transformation, with the side being a far cry away from the 14th place that they finished in the Brasileiro last season.
Fortazela have only been defeated three times in the league, picking up three draws and eight victories along the way, which has seen them become one of the most dominant sides in the division so far.
In their past five Brasileiro games, Vojvoda's men have only conceded in one game, although three of their four victories in that period did come via 1-0 wins, proving their ability to see out a fixture once they go ahead.
The two teams have met eight times in the past, with Palmeiras having a slight edge with four wins in comparison to Fortazela's two, with the Alviverde picking up a 3-0 victory the last time they competed.
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Abel Ferreira's team are currently on course to secure a double, with the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores right around the corner, yet with Palmeiras just one point ahead of their closest title challengers Atletico Mineiro, the focus will be on this game primarily.
The Alviverde have been dominant at home so far this season, picking up six victories, though they were held to a frustrating and surprising 0-0 in their last outing away from home, despite Sao Paulo going down to 10 men.
Prior to that draw, Palmeiras had managed to pick up seven consecutive victories, and they have been tough to score against at the same time, having not conceded in their last five fixtures across all competitions.
With Raphael Veiga on form in front of goal this season, with nine already to his name, and Willian leading the line with the same number of goals, the squad will have a strong attacking threat, which could be the difference.
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Team News
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Palmeiras have dealt with the loss of Matias Vina to Roma well, with Renan taking his place at left-back since Vina's departure, which is something that is likely to continue throughout the season.
While Vine was sold, the club did sign Jorge from AS Monaco to provide further competition at full-back, and he could also be in contention for a place in the team in the coming weeks once he has fully recovered from injury.
Weverton managed to retain his place as number one against Sao Paulo, keeping another clean sheet in the process which will likely earn him the jersey once again heading into this important fixture.
However, Ferreira will be without Gabriel Menino who is currently competing at the Tokyo Olympics, while there are also several injury concerns with Rony currently out of action, while Luiz Adriano and Dudu are also unavailable.
Palmeiras did name Luan on the bench against Sao Paulo for the first time since his calf injury, although he did not feature in the game itself, raising question marks over his match sharpness in terms of a starting place.
Angelo Henriquez was in the Fortaleza squad for the first time in their recent Copa do Brasil game, and though the former Manchester United man did not feature, he is now officially available to play with his transfer going through earlier this month.
Wellington Paulista will be aiming to keep his place in the side after finding the back of the net against Clube de Regatas, although Robson has also been a major goal threat throughout the campaign, adding great strength in depth.
In the net, Marcelo Boeck will be hoping to retain his position in the starting lineup after being rested in the last league game, as he returned to the side in the cup and did enough to keep a clean sheet.
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Rocha, Melo, Gomez, Renan; Ze Rafael, Danilo; Veiga, Scarpa, Wesley; Willian
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Boeck; Tinga, Benevenuto, Titi; Pikachu, Crispim, Ederson, Jussa; Vargas; Paulista, Robson
We say: Palmeiras 1-1 Fortaleza
This game could truly go either way with two of Brasileiro's most in-form and impressive teams from this season going head to head, which is why a draw could end up being the outcome here.
Both teams have been tough to score against this season, which should make for a cagey affair that could see them cancel each other out.
Top tip
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 Palmeiras win with a probability of 49.38%. A draw had a probability of 27.1% and a win for Fortaleza had a probability of 23.48%.
The most likely scoreline for a Palmeiras win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.24%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.05%) and 2-1 (8.87%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.56%), while for a Fortaleza win it was 0-1 (8.89%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 1.2% likelihood.
