Atletico Goianiense and Vasco da Gama renew acquaintances on Wednesday when they go head to head in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil round-of-16 clash at the Estadio Antonio Accioly.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides within the space of two weeks, with the Cruzmaltino claiming a 1-0 victory in their league encounter on July 17 courtesy of a second-half strike from David.
Match preview
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Atletico Goianiense failed to stop the rot in the Brasileiro Serie A as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against league leaders Flamengo when the sides squared off last on Sunday.
The gulf in quality and form between the two sides was on display at the Estadio do Maracana as Pedro and Giorgian De Arrascaeta scored on either side of half time to hand Flamengo a comfortable win.
Goianiense have now failed to taste victory in 11 consecutive matches, losing seven and picking up four draws since Luiz Fernando and Mateo Zuleta scored second-half goals to inspire them to a 2-1 win over Fluminense on June 16.
While the Dragao find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table, they now turn their attention to the Copa do Brasil, where they kicked off the campaign with a 3-1 victory over Real Brasilia on March 7, before picking up a 5-2 aggregate win over Serie B outfit Brusque in May.
Fernando's 76th-minute strike saw Goianiense secure a narrow 1-0 first-leg victory over Brusque on May 1, three weeks before they stormed to a dominant 4-2 win in the return leg at the Estadio Antonio Accioly.
Next up for Vagner Mancini's men is the stern challenge of going up against an opposing side who are unbeaten in 15 of their last 18 meetings, picking up 11 wins and four draws since May 2009.
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Having kicked off their cup campaign with a comfortable 3-1 victory over lower-tier Marcilio Dias on February 28, Vasco da Gama were spared their blushes in the second round as they needed penalties to see off Serie D side Agua Santa.
Faced with their toughest challenge in the third round, Vasco da Gama had to dig deep once again as they picked up a penalty-shootout victory over fellow Serie A side Fortaleza after a 3-3 aggregate draw.
Following a goalless draw in the first leg on May 1, both sides scored three goals in the return leg three weeks later to force a stalemate at the Estadio Sao Januario and take the tie to penalties, where the hosts picked up a 5-4 victory.
While Rafael Paiva's men have shown their mettle in the cup, they have suffered a drop-off in form in the Serie A, where they are on a run of two defeats in their last two matches.
A 2-0 loss to Atletico Mineiro on July 21 saw the Cruzmaltino's four-game winning streak come to an end on July 21, one week before they were beaten 1-0 by Gremio at the Arena Conda on Saturday night.
With the result at Gremio, Vasco da Gama have now failed to win 10 of their last 11 away matches since the start of March, claiming one draw and losing a staggering nine.
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Team News
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Goianiense will have to cope without 29-year-old defender Bruno Tubarao, who is set to sit out his fifth straight game after picking up a thigh injury against Palmeiras on July 11.
Brazilian midfielder Roni was forced off injured midway through the second half against Flamengo last time out and the Corinthians loanee is a doubt for Wednesday's tie.
Should he fail to shake off the injury, 32-year-old Maguinho could come into the fold, teaming up with Adriano Martins, Pedro Henrique and Yeferson Rodallega at the defensive end of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Vasco da Gama will be without the services of Guilherme Estrella, Joao Victor and Paulinho Paula, who have all been ruled out through knee injuries.
Adson missed the game against Gremio at the weekend through a thigh injury and the 23-year-old midfielder is a major doubt for Wednesday's clash.
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Rangel; Maguinho, Martins, Henrique, Rodallega; Freitas, Norberto, Baralhas; Janderson, Hurtado, Fernando
Vasco da Gama possible starting lineup:
Jardim; Henrique, Maicon, Leo, Piton; Moura, Cocao, Coutinho; Rodriguez, Vegetti, David
We say: Atletico Goianiense 1-2 Vasco da Gama
While Vasco da Gama have suffered a slump in form of late, they will be licking their lips as they take on a floundering Goianiense side who have failed to win any of their last 11 matches. Paiva's men are unbeaten in their last three visits to the Estadio Antonio Accioly and we fancy them to secure a narrow victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
