Brasileirao Serie A side Corinthians take on Serie D America de Natal in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil third round at the Neo Quimica Arena on Thursday morning.
The hosts had to come from behind to eventually take a 2-1 lead from the first leg in a much tighter game than the top-flight side would have predicted.
Match preview
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Corinthians come into this game having lost just one of their last six matches, a 2-0 defeat to third-placed Flamengo, a much-improved run of results following a poor start to the season.
The People's Team have seen a sharp decline in the past years, going from a fourth-placed finish in 2022 to 13th last year and now placing in 16th, albeit after just six games played.
They come into this second leg holding a 2-1 lead thanks to a comeback victory in the first leg, initially going a goal down after 13 minutes before goals from Breno Biden and Caca earned them the victory.
Despite the victory, Antonio Oliveira is unlikely to be pleased with the manner of the performance, allowing a side in the fourth division to have more shots and big chances.
Corinthians will now host America FC at their home ground, where they have picked up all their points so far this season, as they hope to progress through to the next round.
The visitors will be hoping to deliver a performance similar to that of the first leg as they pushed the top division side all the way, coming agonisingly close to an equaliser as Matheus Ferreira's goal was chalked off by VAR.
America FC are currently second in the Serie D, winning two, drawing one and losing one of their opening four games, while they have only lost two of their last 10 fixtures across all competitions.
Marquinhos Santos's men have failed to win either of their last two away matches but had gone eight without defeat on the road before a 3-2 loss to Santa Cruz-RN earlier this month.
America FC do have a history of beating Corinthians, a 2-0 win in November 2008 when the two sides met in Brasileirao Serie B, and they will be hoping to secure a major underdog victory here.
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Team News
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The hosts are set to be without up to six players as they look to defend their lead in this Copa do Brasil third-round tie.
Diego Palacios, Gabriel Moscardo and Pedro Henrique are out for this game but are expected to make their returns later this month, while Ruan Oliveira is out until August.
Matheuzinho is also unavailable after spraining his ankle in the 2-0 win over Nacional Asuncion in the Copa Sudamericana earlier this month.
Felix Torres remains a doubt with an ankle injury he sustained in his side's last outing.
Gustavo Ramos is the only player unavailable for the visitors after being forced off eight minutes after being substituted onto the pitch against Atletico Cearense at the beginning of May.
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Miguel; Fagner, Henrique, Caca, Hugo; Garro, Raniele, Bidon; Romero, Alberto, Wesley
America de Natal possible starting lineup:
Dida; Ytalo, Jansen, Alan, Guedes; Neto, Ferreira, Souza, Wenderson; Henrique, Rafinha
We say: Corinthians 2-0 America de Natal
Despite America FC pushing Corinthians all the way in the first leg of the game, the hosts have not lost any of their last six home games heading into this one, and we expect them to continue that streak with a victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
