Two of the four promoted sides meet this weekend, but it is very much the hosts to be siding with. Mirassol have been excellent and have so far defied the odds, with the vast majority of bookmakers brandishing them as the favourites to drop back into Serie B.

Yet wins over Sao Paulo, Corinthians and Gremio have them tussling for a Libertadores spot in the first third of the season - and it’s deserved. Only Flamengo have scored more than Mirassol, who’s 16 goals have been spread amongst their squad. In fact, their left-back Reinaldo (5), is their top goalscorer.

Incredibly resilient, yet dangerous on the counter, Mirassol know when to strike - and it’s working.

The same can’t be said for their opponents. Sport Recife are winless so far (D3 L7), picking up just one point from their five away matches. To make matters worse, Portuguese midfielder Sergio Oliveira is suspended - leaving a big hole to fill in the heart of the pitch.

The second best attack faces the worst defence and although they came up together, they are very much on different paths right now.

Flamengo will be classed as the bankers in this week’s treble but it’s impossible to not include them. At home they’ve won three, drawn two yet have only conceded once - and Filipe Luis’ side continue to show why they are title contenders.

More impressively, they head into this fixture on the back of a 2-0 win against league leaders Palmeiras at Allianz Parque, where two second half strikes saw them pick up three deserved points.

With an abundance of attacking talent combined with a defence that has only conceded four in 10 matches, Flamengo may only need a goal to beat Fortaleza this weekend.

The visitors have yet to win on the road this season, and have a quick turnaround to deal with, having travelled to Argentina to face Racing in the Libertadores on Thursday evening. Flamengo didn’t leave Brazil this week, and will head into this more settled than their opponents.

Flamengo appear unbreakable under their former player, while Fortaleza’s ageing squad is struggling against teams projected to finish in the top six.

The standout tie in Brazil this week is without doubt Cruzeiro’s home match against Palmeiras. It’s 3rd vs 1st - and it’s also the best home record v the best away.

Cruzeiro spent big during the off-season - and under Leo Jardim, it’s all coming together. Having thrown away the Copa Sudamericana, the head coach has always stated it was a distraction, and he rotated heavily for their midweek match against Santa Fe in order to keep his best XI fit and ready for this fixture.

Unbeaten at home, which included a 2-1 win against Flamengo, Cruzeiro look to be the only other main threat to win the title at this stage of the season. Forward Kaoi Jorge has six goals to his name, Gabriel Barbosa has already won the fans over while Fabricio Bruno - a centre-back West Ham tried to sign last summer - has shored up their defence.

But their greatest test awaits on Sunday. Palmeiras are five wins from five on the road this season, who put six goals past Sporting Cristal midweek in the Libertadores. Chelsea-bound wonderkid Estevao has six goals and three assists to his name across all competitions, while Facundo Torres has four after his big money move from Orlando City.

The bookmakers are expecting a tight match, but as we saw when Flamengo came to town, Cruzeiro won’t sit back at home, and their forwards have proven to be just as good as the league leaders.