Gameweek 18 in the 2024 Brasileiro season will see Juventude taking on an in-form Sao Paulo at Arena BRB Mane Garrincha on Sunday night.
The hosts enter this match in 12th place in the league standings with 20 points, while the visitors are fourth with 30 points after 17 games this season.
Match preview
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After securing promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking last season, Juventude will be fairly pleased with their return to this point, five points clear of the drop and currently holding down the final Copa Sudamericana qualification spot.
Following a fourth-round Copa do Brasil victory over International, Verdao played out a 1-1 draw against Atletico Mineiro in midweek, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to four matches (W2 D2 L0).
That result also kept their unbeaten home record in the league this season intact (W5 D3 L0), while the last time they tasted defeat on home soil was in the Gaucho 1 competition at the start of March.
However, Verdao will enter this weekend's contest without a full-time manager in the dugout after Roger Machado resigned unexpectedly on Thursday morning to take up an offer to coach Internacional.
Assistant manager Gerson will serve as the interim caretaker head coach until a suitable replacement can be found, and he will be tasked with finding a way to end the side's six-match winless run against this opponent which dates back to 2021.
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Meanwhile, Sao Paulo have done very well to build on their Copa do Brasil triumph last season, currently boasting a record of nine wins, three draws and five losses after 17 league games this term.
Their 30 points to date leave them six behind league leaders Botafogo, while a victory this weekend could see them leapfrog defending champions Palmeiras into second place in the standings.
Tricolor Paulista held on to a one-goal advantage scored by Lucas Moura against Gremio in midweek, marking their fifth win in their last six league games, with the only dropped points in that time being an away loss to Atletico Mineiro last weekend.
However, in order for Luis Zubeldia's side to maintain their lofty league position, they will need to find improvement in their away form, having won just one of their last five matches, and taking only 11 of a possible 21 points on the road this season.
Team News
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Juventude will be without the services of a few key players for this match, including Ze Marcos, Danilo Boza and Marcelinho, all of whom are ruled out until next month due to injury.
Edson Carioca is facing an extended period on the treatment table with a knee injury, while goalkeeper Gabriel sat out the last game with a thigh strain and is flagged as a doubt for this one.
Igor Vinicius was shown a second yellow in stoppage time against Gremio in midweek and he will join Welington and Alan Franco, who are also forced to sit out this match due to suspension.
Alisson sustained a nasty injury on Thursday that has now been confirmed as a broken ankle, which sees him added to the long-term absentee list alongside midfielder Pablo Maia.
Juventude possible starting lineup:
Claus; Inocencio, Abner, Oyama, Ruschel; Caique, Jadson, Jean, Nene, Farias, Barbosa
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Rafael, Vinicius, Arboleda, Ferraresi, Patryck; Bobadilla, Nestor, Moura, Neves, Ferreira, Calleri
We say: Juventude 1-1 Sao Paulo
While Sao Paulo have been one of the form sides in the league recently, Juventude have defended their home patch expertly and are yet to lose a match at Arena BRB Mane Garrincha this season.
The visitors are likely to enter this match as the bookmakers' favourite but we feel the hosts will be able to secure at least a share of the spoils by the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
