After a couple of away defeats, Juventude return to Estadio Alfredo Jaconi this week to take on Gremio in gameweek 15 of Brasileiro on Sunday night.
The hosts enter this match in 13th place in the league standings with 16 points after 13 games, while the visitors are third-bottom with 11 points, though they have played a game less than their opponents.
Match preview
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After a very positive return to the top flight, which included just one defeat from their first seven matches, Juventude have been stuttering of late and are now uncomfortably close to the drop zone.
Juve suffered a second consecutive defeat and their third in the last four league matches in midweek, when they were beaten 2-0 by Bahia on the road with Thaciano and Cauly scoring for the hosts.
That result extended their winless run on the road to seven games, during which they have only earned two points, drawing 1-1 with Criciuma and basement club Fluminense either side of the league stoppage.
At Estadio Alfredo Jaconi, though, Roger Machado's side have been excellent this season and are one of only four teams in the top flight that are yet to taste defeat on their home patch (W4 D2 L0).
However, next up for Papo are Gremio, a side that beat them 3-2 in their last meeting in 2021 and one the hosts have not beaten in their last six attempts, losing four and drawing two.
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Meanwhile, in almost complete contrast to the hosts, Gremio experienced a wretched start to the season, losing seven of their first nine matches, which set them firmly in the drop zone with just six points to their name at that point.
Imortal Tricolor were one of the sides that were worst affected by the floods that led to the league being temporarily paused in June, and they are yet to return to Gremio Arena, which is still unplayable.
Despite the difficulties, Renato Gaucho's side have begun to show signs of life in the last two weeks, avoiding defeat in each of their last three matches, with the most recent ending in a 2-2 draw against high-flyers Palmeiras in midweek.
However, while a point against the defending champions would have been seen as a net positive, Gaucho will likely be a little disappointed with the result, having seen his side lead the match for over 70 minutes before Verdao found two goals in four minutes late in the second half.
During their current three-match unbeaten run, Gremio also managed to earn their first point on the road this season, and given their record in this fixture, Imortal Tricolor will have genuine belief they can continue their upward trajectory by getting another positive result here.
Team News
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Juventude were able to welcome Ze Marcos and Gabriel back in midweek; both players were slotted straight into the starting 11 and should keep their spots for this match.
Romercio is the only long-term injury absentee, having not featured since September last year, while Edson Carioca and Marcelinho have missed the last nine and four games, respectively, and are ruled out for this one as well.
Gremio, on the other hand, are missing a number of players at present, including Mathias Villasanti, who was called up by Paraguay for the Copa America.
Attacking duo Jhonata Robert and Diego Costa are ruled out until next month with a knee and muscle injury, and Lucas Mila is facing an extended period on the sidelines due to an ACL injury.
Juventude possible starting lineup:
Gabriel; Lucas, Boza, Marcos, Rushel; Caique, Jadson, Jean; Barbosa, Gilberto, Farias
Gremio possible starting lineup:
Marchesin; Pedro, Ely, Kannemann; Reinaldo; Carballo, Pepe, Ednilson; Gomes, Cristaldo, Pavon
We say: Juventude 1-1 Gremio
Following back-to-back away defeats, Juventude will be looking forward to returning to their home patch where they are yet to taste defeat this season. However, Gremio have been notably improved over the last couple of weeks and taking a point off the defending champions last time out would have done wonders for their confidence.
This looks like a very even contest on paper and we feel these sides will have to settle for a share of the spoils at the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
