Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Brasileiro clash between Corinthians and Vitoria, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Corinthians will be aiming to end their run of nine consecutive Serie A games without a win when they play host to Vitoria at the Neo Quimica Arena on Thursday.
Having edged out Fluminense in their most recent away match, the Leao da Barra will head into the midweek tie looking to secure back-to-back league wins on the road for the first time this season.
Match preview
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Corinthians continue to struggle for results at the wrong end of the table as they fell to a 2-0 against Palmeiras when the sides met at Allianz Parque on Tuesday morning.
In a game where Raphael Veiga received his marching orders, Fabinho and teenage defender Vitor Reis scored quick-fire goals in the second half to inspire the hosts to a comfortable victory.
Corinthians have now gone seven consecutive games without a win, losing three and picking up four draws since their emphatic 3-0 victory over Uruguayan outfit Racing de Montevideo in the Copa Sudamericana back in May.
This poor run of results has seen Antonio Oliveira‘s men plunge to ninth place in the Serie A standings, just three points above rock-bottom Fluminense who have managed six points from their 13 matches so far.
Corinthians will be backing themselves to stop the rot on Thursday as they return home, where they are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 games across all competitions, claiming six wins and four draws since the start of March.
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Vitoria, on the other hand, were denied a third home win on the bounce last Sunday when they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Athletico Paranaense at the Estadio Manoel Barradas.
Following a goalless first half, former Criciuma forward Julimar came up clutch for Paranaense as he netted the only goal of the game in the 80th minute to snap their four-match winless run.
Vitoria have now lost two of their last three outings, suffering defeats against Red Bull Bragantino and Paranaense, with a 1-0 victory over Fluminense at the Maracana Stadium on June 27 sandwiched between the two losses
Thiago Carpini‘s side men have picked up 12 points from their 13 matches to sit 15th in the Serie A table but could move into 13th-place with all three points on Thursday.
Next up for the Leao da Barra is the stern challenge of taking on a Corinthians side who are unbeaten in 14 of their last 16 meetings, including each of their most recent four encounters between the teams since April 2018.
Corinthians Brasileiro form:
Vitoria Brasileiro form:
Team News
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Corinthians will have to cope without the services of experienced forward Angel Romero, who is currently on duty with Paraguay at the ongoing Copa America.
On the injury front, the hosts will take to the pitch without Carlos Miguel and 35-year-old defender Fagner, who are currently recuperating from ankle and thigh injuries respectively.
Breno Bidon will play no part in Thursday’s clash due to a one-match suspension while Ecuadorian defender Diego Palacios continues his lengthy spell on the sideline through a knee injury.
As for Vitoria, Carpini will be unable to name several players down the spine of the team as Mateus Gonclaves (knee), Everaldo (thigh) and Dudu (knee) are all recuperating from injuries.
They are joined on the club’s injury table by 28-year-old forward Iury Castilho, who is set to sit out his eighth consecutive game, while Camutanga and Leo Gamalho have been ruled out through knee problems.
Osvaldo Filho was forced off injured inside the opening eight minutes against Paranaense on Sunday and is also out of contention for the visitors while veteran defender Bruno Uvini is sidelined with a thigh injury.
Midfielder Leo Naldi will serve a one-game suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Paranaense, meaning 27-year-old Rodrigo Andrade will push for his fifth league start of the season.
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Donelli; Mana, Caca, Henrique, Farias; Raniele, Coronado, Garro; Wesley, Alberto, Mosquito
Vitoria possible starting lineup:
Arcanjo; Lepo, Vinicius, Leonardo, Esteves; Santos, Andrade, Willian; Matheusinho, Alerrandro, Ze Hugo
We say: Corinthians 1-1 Vitoria
While Vitoria will be looking to end their winless run against Corinthians, their away record offers little optimism heading into Thursday’s game. Oliveira’s men have also struggled to grind out results of late and we predict both sides will cancel out each other’s efforts at the Neo Quimica Arena.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.