Atletico Goianiense take on Bragantino in the Brasileiro Serie A on Monday.
Bragantino, who were taken over by Red Bull GmbH last year, are top of the table after their opening six matches, with Atletico GO four points behind them with a game in hand.
Match preview
After finishing 13th to survive in their first season back in Serie A last season, Atletico GO appear to be heading on an upwards trajectory as a football club.
Former Botafogo boss Eduardo Barroca is currently in his second spell at the club, having been appointed last month, with the 39-year-old certainly getting off to an excellent start.
Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Brazilian heavyweights Fluminense took them up to fifth in the table after three wins and a draw from their opening five matches, with central defender Nathan Silva bagging the winner nine minutes from time.
A win against Bragantino on Monday would see them move to within a point of the league leaders with a game in hand, suggesting relegation should not remotely be a concern for the Goiania-based club this campaign.
© Reuters
These forthcoming opponents were both promoted from Serie B together in 2019, so it is all set up for an intriguing clash of two up-and-coming Brazilian outfits.
As RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg can attest to, being taken over by the Red Bull group is usually a precursor for greater success both on and off the pitch.
Bragantino finished 10th in their first season in the league last time out, and top the table after an unbeaten start this time around, so this certainly appears to be the case for Massa Bruta, too.
Managed by former Flamengo boss Mauricio Barbieri, Bragantino are scoring goals for fun at present, having registered six more strikes than any side in Brazil so far this season after their 3-1 win over Palmeiras on Wednesday, with forward Ytalo bagging a superb hat-trick.
Atletico GO have only conceded two goals in five matches, though, so Barbieri will be searching for ways to break down what clearly represents a disciplined defence.
- W
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
Team News
Atletico GO look set to be without 20-year-old Ronald for at least one more match, but otherwise Barroca appears to have a clean bill of health to choose from.
The forward, who spent time on loan at Gremio Anapolis earlier this year, is suffering with a thigh injury.
Bragantino, meanwhile, may travel without Claudinho, Luan Candido, Gabriel Novaes and Bruno Tubarao due to injury.
Claudinho and Candido may be in contention soon, with their thigh issues unlikely to keep them out for much longer, but Novaes and Tubarao are definitely out with thigh and ankle problems respectively.
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Fernando; Dudu, Silva, Eder, Aquino; Freitas, Maranhao; Janderson, Paulo, Natanael; Ze Roberto
Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Schwengber; Aderlan, Bruno, Bernardo de Souza, Weverson; Evangelista, Raul; Artur, Ramires, Helinho; Ytalo
We say: Atletico Goianiense 1-2 Bragantino
Bragantino have so much firepower right now, with goals being scored throughout their attack, and we can envisage that continuing on Monday.
Atletico GO have kept things tight at the back so far this season, though, so will certainly be no pushovers.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
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 50.3%. A draw had a probability of 26.9% and a win for Atletico Goianiense had a probability of 22.82%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bragantino win was 0-1 with a probability of 14.28%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.26%) and 1-2 (8.94%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.45%), while for an Atletico Goianiense win it was 1-0 (8.67%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 14.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Bragantino in this match.
