Ceara will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run in the Brasileiro to 11 matches when they host Atletico Goianiense on Sunday evening.
The home side have collected 22 points from their 14 matches this season to sit seventh in the table, while Atletico have picked up 19 points from the same number of games to occupy ninth position.
Match preview
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Ceara's impressive form continued last time out, as they recovered from an early setback against high-flying Fortaleza to record a 3-1 win, with Kelvyn, Cleber and Rick finding the back of the net in an impressive victory.
Guto Ferreira's side, as mentioned, have picked up 22 points from their 14 matches to sit seventh, but too many draws have prevented them from moving higher up the division at this stage.
Indeed, Ceara have only suffered two defeats, which is the joint-second best record in the league, but they have only won five of their 14 fixtures, drawing seven, which has left them five points off fourth position.
The Black and Whites, who finished 11th in the Brasileiro last term, have a busy end to the month, taking on Corinthians, Flamengo and America Mineiro in their three after this one, and it will be interesting to see whether they are capable of translating some of their tight games into wins to rise up the table.
Atletico, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw with America Mineiro in their last league game at the start of the month before drawing 2-2 with Athletico Paranaense in the Copa do Brasil on Wednesday, which saw them eliminated from the competition courtesy of a 4-3 aggregate defeat.
A record of five wins, four draws and five defeats from 14 matches has left them in ninth position in the table, and they have only actually found the back of the net on 12 occasions this term, which is somewhat of a concern.
The Dragons, who finished 13th in the Brasileiro last term, have only won one of their last six in the league, meanwhile, although the success in question came away to Santos at the end of July.
Eduardo Barroca's side recorded a 2-1 victory over Ceara when the two teams last locked horns in December 2020, but they will be the underdogs entering this game considering the recent form of both teams.
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Team News
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Kelvyn had to be replaced at the interval of Ceara's win over Fortaleza last time out, and the unspecified issue could rule him out of this contest, with Cleber, who came off the bench to score in his side's last match, potentially earning a start.
The home side do not have any other fitness concerns, though, and it would therefore not be a surprise to see Lima, Vina and Stiven Mendoza again feature as the front three in a 4-3-3 formation.
Fernando Sobral and Bruno Pacheco should retain their spots in the full-back areas, with Marlon and Willian Oliveira starting in central midfield.
As for Atletico, Igor Carius remains on the sidelines with a calf problem, but the visitors do not have any other injury concerns.
Head coach Barroca is not expected to make any surprising decisions in terms of his team selection, with Ze Roberto set to lead the line with support from Arthur Gomes in the number 10 spot and Andre Luis and Janderson out wide.
Gabriel Baralhas was on the scoresheet in the 1-1 draw with Mineiro on August 2 and should retain his position in the middle of the park.
Ceara possible starting lineup:
Richard; Sobral, Messias, Lacerda, Pacheco; Cleber, Willian, Marlon; Lima, Vina, Mendoza
Atletico Goianiense possible starting lineup:
Kozlinski; Dudu, Wanderson, Eder, Natanael; Baralhas, Willian; Janderson, Arthur, Luis; Ze Roberto
We say: Ceara 2-1 Atletico Goianiense
Atletico are capable of making this a difficult contest for Ceara, but we are finding it difficult to look past the home side due to their strong form. Guto's side were impressive against Fortaleza last time out, and we are expecting them to put another three points on the board courtesy of a narrow success.
Top tip
Matt Law
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 Ceara win with a probability of 49.03%. A draw had a probability of 26.7% and a win for Atletico Goianiense had a probability of 24.25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Ceara win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.48%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.72%) and 2-1 (9.02%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.51%), while for an Atletico Goianiense win it was 0-1 (8.68%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood.
