Corinthians host America Mineiro in the second leg of their Copa do Brasil quarter-final clash on Saturday.
America Mineiro won 1-0 in last week's first leg, placing the tie firmly in the balance when the two sides take to the field at Neo Quimica Arena.
Match preview
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In comparison to previous years, Corinthians have been relatively starved of success in more recent seasons, having failed to win the Brasileiro since securing their seventh triumph in 2017.
That run will almost certainly continue for another year given that they find themselves only four points clear of the relegation zone, and a whopping 21 points behind runaway leaders Bragantino after just 14 matches.
As such, their exploits in both the Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana have taken on greater importance, and they will head into their domestic cup tie fresh from defeating Peruvian side Universitario 1-0 in the round-of-32 in South America's secondary continental competition in midweek.
A repeat of that scoreline against America Mineiro on Saturday would see this delicately poised cup clash head into extra time and potentially penalties, which their head coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo may well settle for given that Corinthians have failed to beat their forthcoming opponents in each of the last five meetings between the sides.
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America Mineiro, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 by Chilean Primera Division champions Colo-Colo in their own Copa Sudamericana clash on Wednesday.
Coelho clearly hold a more modest historical standing than Corinthians, having regularly bounced between Brazil's top two divisions throughout their history, even competing in the third tier as recently as 2009.
Having never lifted a major honour in their entire history - with their title triumphs in Serie B and Serie C representing their only triumphs on a national or international scale - their head coach Vagner Mancini will be determined to create history by going all of the way on one of two fronts.
With a healthy nine-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone, Mancini and his players should harbor few fears of being sucked into any battle at the bottom of the table, making Saturday's quarter-final clash a gigantic one for the club.
Team News
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Corinthians will remain without Angel Romero, Chrystian Barletta, Paulinho and Gustavo Silva due to knee injuries, but Matias Rojas could make his debut at some stage following his move from Racing Club earlier this week.
Maycon may expect to start having only been used from the bench during his side's first leg defeat, but otherwise Luxemburgo is unlikely to make too many changes to the side that he picked at Independencia.
America Mineiro, meanwhile, will travel without Mikael, Ricardo Silva, Dada Belmonte and Adyson due to various injury issues, while Mateusinho is also doubtful due to an ongoing knee problem.
Having already beaten Corinthians in their most recent meeting, Mancini may look to name the exact same starting XI from the first leg, with Juninho hoping to make himself the hero once more having scored the winning goal in that tie.
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Fagner, Gil, Murillo, Santos; Vera, Maycon, Ferreira; Adson, Alberto, Guedes
America Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Pasinato; Marlon, Eder, Maidana, Avelar; Martinez, Kal; Everaldo, Benitez, Juninho; Mastriani
We say: Corinthians 1-1 America Mineiro
Both sides could be a little tired having competed in the Copa Sudamericana in midweek, and we can envisage a low-scoring affair given how finely balanced this tie is after America Mineiro's narrow victory in the first leg.
However, the visitors have had the edge over Corinthians in their recent battles, and they may prove to be a little more determined given their opportunity to win this competition for the first time in the club's history.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
