Sao Paulo v Goias

The first match of the weekend in the Brasileirão sees São Paulo host Goiás at the Estádio do Morumbi. 

São Paulo have been in mixed form recently. They have been very difficult to beat in recent weeks, but have also found it tough to pick up wins, as they have drawn their last four games in all competitions. Sao Paulo also remain unbeaten in their last nine outings. On Wednesday evening, they took on International and put on a thriller. Three times Inter took the lead, but Rogerio Ceni’s men showed resilience to come back each time, in a classic 3-3 draw. Sao Paulo’s expected goals of 2.19 were slightly less than Inter’s 2.44. 

Sao Paulo keeper Thiago Couto had a game to forget, as he made two huge errors, which effectively cost his side the three points. Their first-choice goalkeeper, Jandrei could return from injury here, which will be a welcome boost. 

Despite failing to win last time out, Sao Paulo cut Inter to pieces at times, with some wonderful passing moves. If they play like that here, they should expect a comfortable evening, against a Goias side struggling for form.

Goias have won only two of their last nine games, as they sit 14th in the league, just three points above the relegation zone. In midweek, they took on Fluminense and looked like they were going to pick up the three points when Nicolas put them 2-1 up with ten minutes to play, however, goals from German Cano and Willian, left Esmeraldino empty-handed. This was the fourth match in a row where Goias have been outperformed on XG, with 1.65 compared to Flu’s 2.79. They will be hoping to be much better in this game, as they seek to pull clear of the bottom four.

Sao Paulo have a great record against Goias in recent times, they have won four of the last five meetings and with Goias being winless in their previous four league away games, Tricolor will fancy their chances of another victory here.

---

---

Ceara v Juventude

Rock bottom club Juventude will be hoping to lift spirits in camp when they host Ceará at the Estádio Alfredo Jaconi on Sunday evening. 

Juventude’s poor form continued last time out, as they were well beaten by Flamengo. A horrendous first half saw them 3-0 down and fall to ten men. To credit Juve, they didn’t capitulate in the second half and only conceded one goal, in a 4-0 loss. Umberto Louzer’s men must improve their form rapidly… They sit bottom of the Brazilian Serie A and haven’t won in nine matches. During this run, they have been outperformed on expected goals six times. Juve are the third lowest scorers in the division with 15 goals. 

Louzer is yet to taste victory during his five games in charge of Juve, drawing three and losing two.

After being in the relegation zone a few weeks ago, Ceara have turned a corner, which is mainly down to turning draws into wins. In all competitions, they have won five of their last seven matches, as well as this they are in the last eight of the Copa Sudamericana and sit in 11th place, six points clear of the drop zone. 

Last time out, Ceara took on Avai at home and a well-worked free-kick saw Vina give them a 1-0 lead, which was enough to secure them the three points. Forward Cleber can return after being suspended in midweek, his height allows Ceara to mix up their game plan in need be, with Juve being weak at defending set pieces, this could be the perfect game for him.

Manager Marquinhos Santos will be hoping to get one over his former club here. During two spells with Juve, Santos took charge of 85 games. Since joining Ceara in June, he has a decent record with; five wins, four draws and a defeat.

Coming into this matchup, Ceara are favourites despite being away from home, this is down to Juve’s horrendous form. They can’t seem to buy a win at the moment. If there is a winner in this game, it will likely be Vozão, but don’t rule out the draw!

---

Fluminense v Red Bull Bragantino

Fluminense host Bragantino at the Estádio da Cidadania in the Rio de Janeiro Municipality, Volta Redonda. With both sides in great form, a mouth-watering affair is to be expected.

Fluminense extended their unbeaten run to eleven matches in all competitions last time out with a 3-2 victory away from home against Goias. Jhon Arias opened the scoring, before a Pedro Raul goal ensured the sides went in all square at the break.

An 80th-minute strike from Nicolas looked like Goias were going to earn a surprise win, but Flu had other ideas, German Cano levelled things before, substitute Willian ensured the points with a lovely finish. Their XG of 2.79 was way greater than Goias’ 1.65, although they would have liked to allow fewer chances on their goal. German Cano is having a wonderful campaign so far with 11 goals from 18 league games, two more than anyone else in the Brazilian Serie A.

Bragantino have been in great form over their last three matches, which has seen them win all three and score nine goals in the process. The mini upturn in form has seen them move into eighth place, as they look to work their way up the league table. In midweek, the Red-Bull club enjoyed a 2-1 victory over Fortaleza, thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Gabriel Novaes. In their last five games, Bragantino have outperformed their opponents on XG, which backs up their recent performances.  

Fluminense have an average possession of 58.5%, whilst Bragantino’s is at 50.2%. Meaning the away side are likely to opt to play a more counter-attacking style, as they know Diniz’s side like to keep the ball and play out from the back, this has seen them score 19 goals from open play, 70% of their overall total. 

Bragantino and Flu have found the net on 23 occasions over the last five games, and therefore, they will both expect to score here, in what should be a highly entertaining contest.

---

Atletico Mineiro v Corinthians

Second-place Corinthians, travel to third-place Atletico Mineiro this weekend, in what is one of the top games in Brazil. Both sides are equal on points, only separated by Brazil’s tiebreaker of games won.

Atlético Mineiro have won only one of their last four matches in all competitions and manager Antonio Mohamed has been walking a tightrope in terms of his future at the club. The latest reports state that he could even be dismissed before the game here. A source close to the club told media outlets, that board members are meeting to discuss his future on Friday.

If he does cling on to his job, he would most certainly have to win here to avoid being dismissed. Although his record isn’t the worst in the world, the standards set by Cuca’s side last year have set the bar extremely high. The meeting came after a disappointing 1-1 draw away from home against Cuiaba, on Friday evening. Cuiaba had the majority of chances and had an XG of 2.19 compared to Galo’s 1.12. It’s safe to say, Atletico need to improve if they want to defend their title.

After a 3-1 battering by Ceara, Corinthians needed to bounce back on Wednesday evening and they did just that with an impressive 3-1 victory over Coritiba at home. The XG for Corinthians was above 2.0 for the first time in five weeks with a 2.27 compared to Coritiba’s 1.06. It has not all been plain sailing for Corinthians, however, who sit tenth in the current form guide over the last five games. In this period they have; won two, drawn one and lost two.

Corinthians have been poor away from home with three wins, two draws and four defeats. In these games, they have scored nine and conceded 15. Galo on the other hand, have a strong home record with; five wins, three draws, and just one defeat – scoring 15 and letting in eight. With that in mind, there should certainly be goals in this one!

---

18+ please gamble responsibly.

---

Back the Four and Five Star Selections as an Accumulator on Betfair ⬇️

*Bet link only appears when accessing from mobile.

---

Haven’t got a Betfair account? You’re in luck…

Sign up to Betfair and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £20 on the 4/1 Brazilian Serie A Best Bets Accumulator. Here are the two possible outcomes: