Bragantino will be looking to build on their impressive Brasileiro victory against Palmeiras with another three points at home against Atletico Goianiense on Tuesday.
The two sides – who were promoted to the top flight together in 2019 – are separated by seven points in the current standings, with the hosts closer to the top four, while the visitors are looking over their shoulders.
Match preview
© Reuters
Bragantino's six-game winless run in the Brazilian top flight came to an end last weekend, as they secured a 4-2 win away against 10-time champions Palmeiras.
The Red Bulls raced into a three-goal lead within the first 36 minutes thanks to strikes from Ytalo, Tomas Cuello and Artur, before Dudu pulled one back for the hosts on the stroke of half time.
Raphael Veiga's 62nd-minute penalty then gave Palmeiras hope of a comeback, however Artur bagged his second of the game 15 minutes later to ensure Mauricio Barbieri's men came home with all three points for the first time since August 24.
Bragantino have moved up to fifth in the Brasileiro standings, just one point behind fourth-placed Fortaleza and with a game in hand.
The Red Bulls now prepare for their next encounter at the Estadio Nabi Abi Chedid against an Atletico Goianiense side who they have beaten in their last two top-flight meetings, by an aggregate score of 3-0.
Bragantino have impressed going forward so far this campaign, scoring 39 goals in their 24 matches; only Flamengo (43) have found the net on more occasions.
Barbieri's side have scored in each of their last six games against Goianiense and so will be confident of claiming another positive result on Tuesday.
© Reuters
Atletico Goianiense's hopes of securing South American football next season remain alive, though they dropped points against Fluminense last weekend after playing out a goalless draw away from home.
The Dragao have now failed to score in three of their last four matches and are one of only four Brasileiro teams who have scored 20 goals or fewer in the division.
Goianiense currently sit 11th in the table, five points above the relegation zone and six points behind Corinthians in sixth, who occupy the final Copa Libertadores qualification spot.
Throughout this campaign, Eduardo Souza's side have struggled for consistency, having failed to win successive league games since claiming three points in their opening two matches against Corinthians and Sao Paulo at the end of May and at the beginning of June.
Returning to winning ways on Tuesday will not be easy, as they face a Bragantino side who they have only beaten once in their last five meetings. However, a victory away from home could see them climb into the top eight.
- L
- D
- L
- D
- D
- W
- W
- L
- W
- D
- D
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- L
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Bragantino boss Barbieri may decide to name the same starting lineup that beat Palmeiras last weekend.
The hosts will still be without Raul (knee), Bruno Tubarao (broken ankle), Leandrinho (muscle), Vitinho (thigh), Lucas Evangelista (thigh) and Rafael Luiz (thigh) due to injury.
Venezuelan forward Jan Hurtado is away on international duty, so Ytalo is expected to lead the line again up front.
Helinho will be hoping he can force his way back into the starting lineup, after starting on the bench in midweek, though Bruno Praxedes is set to continue in the number 10 role, with Artur and Cuello operating on the flanks.
As for Goianiense, their only injury concern is still with midfielder Marlon Freitas, who has missed the last nine months with a foot injury.
Natanael could return to the starting lineup at left-back at the expense of Igor Carius, joining Dudu, Wanderson and Eder in the back four.
Paraguayan forward Brian Montenegro, who has scored just one goal in seven appearances since joining the club on loan from Olimpia, will be hoping he can force his way into the first XI ahead of either Ze Roberto or Joao Paulo.
Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Schwengber; Aderlan, Bruno, Ortiz, Edimar; Jadsom, Ramires; Artur, Praxedes, Cuello; Ytalo
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Fernando; Dudu, Wanderson, Eder, Natanael; Luis, Barbosa Teixeira, Maranhao; Pereira Martins; Paulo, Ze Roberto
We say: Bragantino 1-0 Atletico Goianiense
A closely-fought contest is set to be played out on Tuesday, though a victory would help both sides in their quest to qualify for the Copa Libertadores.
Bragantino claimed a narrow 1-0 victory away against Goianiense in June and we feel that they may secure the same result on home soil.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bragantino win with a probability of 43.75%. A win for Atletico Goianiense had a probability of 28.26% and a draw had a probability of 28%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bragantino win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.58%) and 2-1 (8.48%). The likeliest Atletico Goianiense win was 0-1 (10%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.02%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Bragantino in this match.
