With a place in the last 16 of the Copa do Brasil at stake, Vasco da Gama will host Fortaleza at Estadio Sao Januario on Tuesday in the second leg of that third-round tie.
In the opening leg at the beginning of May, these sides played to a 0-0 draw, leaving everything up in the air for this upcoming clash.
Match preview
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In the first leg of this tie, the goal for Vasco appeared evident from the early going, keep Fortaleza at bay and take few chances when in possession.
That tactic worked as they kept Clube da Garotada off the scoresheet, putting Vasco in position to advance into the last 16 of this tournament for the first time since 2021.
It was the first time in the Copa do Brasil this season that they had failed to find the back of the net, having scored three goals in each of their previous two matches at this tournament.
Rafael Paiva's men are undefeated in 11 of their 12 home matches in all competitions this year, claiming a 2-1 victory over Vitoria in Serie A action, putting them within a point of Fortaleza in the table.
Vasco have not won a Copa do Brasil contest in normal time on home soil since 2020, outlasting Agua Santa in the second round on penalties after that match ended in a 3-3- draw.
Tuesday will be the first time they play host to Fortaleza in this competition, and they have never lost to them at Estadio Sao Januario.
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Despite carrying the play in the opening leg, Fortaleza missed a golden opportunity to come into this tie with an advantage, having 61% of the possession with six targeted efforts, while conceding just one.
Should they fail to emerge victorious from this upcoming encounter, it would mark their earliest exit from this tournament since being knocked out in the opening round versus Sao Raimundo-PA in 2017.
Juan Pablo Vojvoda's men are winless in their last three away matches in all competitions since defeating Sao Paulo 2-1 in mid-April, though they were able to earn a point in their previous game as the visitors, netting a 90th-minute equaliser to collect a 1-1 draw at La Bombonera versus Boca Juniors in the Copa Sudamericana.
Leo do Pici are winless in their last six matches in all competitions after winning back-to-back encounters versus Altos (5-0) and Boca Juniors (4-2) in April.
While their away form has not been great in recent times, they have won their last three second-leg fixtures in the third round of this tournament, failing to concede in any of those instances.
Fortaleza have lost just one of their previous five matches in all competitions versus Vasco da Gama and have not been knocked out of a third-round tie at the Copa do Brasil since Flamengo eliminated them at this stage in 2009 (3-0 on aggregate).
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Team News
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Paulinho missed the opening match of this tie for Vasco da Gama because of a knee injury, and Joao Victor was forced out through suspension.
Pablo Vegetti leads them with two goals in this competition in 2024, while Leo Jardim collected his first clean sheet of the tournament in early May.
Both Calebe and Lucas Sasha are expected to miss this match for Fortaleza as they are recovering from a thigh and knee injury, respectively.
Joao Ricardo only had to make one stop to collect a clean sheet in the first match of this tie, his second in his last three meetings against them in all competitions.
Vasco da Gama possible starting lineup:
Jardim; Rojas, Maicon, Leo; Henrique, Carvalho, Sforza, Piton; Payet, Vegetti, David
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Ricardo; Tinga, Britez, Titi, Jonatan; Pikachu, Welison, Herecules, Pochettino; Lucero, Andrade
We say: Vasco da Gama 0-0 Fortaleza (Fortaleza advances on penalties)
The last four competitive matches between these two teams at Estadio Sao Januario were decided by a goal or fewer, and we expect another nail-biter on Tuesday.
In the end, we are counting on Fortaleza's experience in pressure situations over the past few seasons to give them a slight edge in this decisive encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
