Matchday 23 in the 2023 Brasileiro Serie A season will begin with a rematch between the two finalists from the 2022 Copa Libertadores as Flamengo host Athletico Paranaense on Wednesday at Estadio Kleber Andrade.
Over the weekend, Mengao handed the league-leaders Botafogo their first home defeat of the domestic campaign (2-1), moving them up to fourth in the table, five points clear of El Paranaense in seventh, after the runners-up at the previous Libertadores played to a 1-1 draw with Atletico Mineiro.
Match preview
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Nearly a month on from their dramatic second-half collapse, which saw their reign as Copa Libertadores champions end in the last 16 versus Olimpia (3-2 on aggregate), Flamengo are starting to climb up the Serie A table, unbeaten in four successive league fixtures, and without a loss in their last five competitive games.
At the end of July, assistant coach Pablo Fernandez was fired for punching striker Pedro in the face, according to ESPN Brazil, and there appears to be more harmony within the group since that incident came to light and was subsequently dealt with, as this team are currently holding down the final Copa Libertadores spot in the table, while only two points separate themselves from Palmeiras in second.
Jorge Sampaoli remained the manager of this team despite that situation, and his players have responded, winning three of their last four matches in all competitions and advancing into the Copa do Brasil final along the way.
Flamengo have not lost a competitive home fixture since April 30 (3-2 versus Botafogo), conceding just once in their last four matches played in Rio de Janeiro, with all of those encounters taking place at the Maracana.
While their defensive shape has improved in recent outings, the mid-block system employed by the former Marseille boss has been relatively inconsistent domestically, as Urubu are tied with Cuiaba for the most goals conceded by a Serie A side currently in the top half of the table (27), allowing a total of five in their last two away fixtures in this competition.
They have come back to earn a single point in two of their last three domestic home fixtures while going winless in league play this season when conceding the opening goal (three draws and one loss).
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For a third successive encounter in this competition, Athletico Paranaense came away with just a single point on Saturday, the fifth draw for them in Serie A in their last six outings.
Wesley Carvalho's men have found a way to salvage a point in each of their previous two domestic affairs at home after falling behind but have also left points on the table when playing outside of Arena da Baixada, conceding an equalising goal in their last two road fixtures versus Goias (1-1) and Santos (1-1), and squandering nine points away from home domestically this year when drawing first blood.
Winning the league could be out of sight for this team, who are currently 17 points behind Botafogo, but claiming a spot at the 2024 Libertadores is well within their reach as they currently trail Bragantino for a qualifying place in that competition by a single point.
Their 2-0 victory over Vasco da Gama on July 23 ended a five-match domestic losing run for El Paranaense in Rio, a streak which dates back to 2021, with this team scoring just once during that slide.
Furacao have not helped themselves with their aggressive tackling, being reduced to 10 men in back-to-back league fixtures while reaching double-digits for fouls committed in all but two Serie A encounters this year.
They have conceded in three of their last four away fixtures versus Flamengo, failing to find the scoresheet on three of those occasions.
Team News
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Flamengo could be without Guillermo Varela for another week as he is recovering from a sore knee, while Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Luiz Araujo remain sidelined due to thigh injuries.
An own-goal from Marlon Freitas gave Mengao an early lead after only two minutes in their clash against Fogo last weekend, with Bruno Henrique netting the winner 17 minutes from the end, as Matheus Cunha stopped six of the seven shots that he faced, enabling his side to walk away with all three points.
Henrique has eight goals in his career versus El Paranaense, while Pedro and Gabriel Barbosa each have seven, though Pedro was the only one of those three to score in this exact fixture last year when Fabricio Bruno had a brace, while Ayrton Lucas and Lazaro also netted in a 5-0 triumph.
Pedro Henrique is expected to miss this encounter for Furacao because of a broken ankle, Christian and Bento are dealing with thigh injuries, Fernandinho is out following his red card on Saturday, while Vinicius Kaue is eligible to return from his suspension.
Vitor Roque had the equalising goal for them in their draw on Saturday, giving him 11 domestically this season, just two fewer than Tiquinho Soares of Botafogo in the Golden Boot race.
Goals from Roque and Erick helped El Paranaense to a 2-1 home victory against Flamengo the last time these teams squared off in league play this year, as Bento stopped two of the three shots that he faced on that occasion.
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Cunha; Franca, Bruno, Luiz, Lucas; Pulgar, Maia; Ribeiro, Gerson, B. Henrique; Barbosa
Athletico Paranaense possible starting lineup:
Linck; Madson, Caca, Heleno, Esquivel; Erick, Zapelli, Cuello; Bueno, Roque, Pablo
We say: Flamengo 3-1 Athletico Paranaense
El Paranaense have not been able to keep their composure when playing in enemy territory, despite some strong starts, while Flamengo are starting to score with more regularity and are finding ways to turn one point into three at home.
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