Cuiaba head into matchday 10 of their Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A campaign searching for their first home victory when they host Corinthians on Tuesday at Arena Pantanal.
Dourado missed an opportunity to move out of early relegation danger, losing 2-1 to America Mineiro on Saturday, while Corinthians are now unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches in all competitions after defeating Atletico Goianiense 1-0.
Match preview
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The opening 10 league fixtures of the 2022 Brasileiro Serie A season for Cuiaba can be summed up as so close and yet so far.
Luiz Fernando lubel's men have dropped four league contests by a single goal, squandering four points thus far from winning positions.
Their interim manager, who is filling in until Antonio Oliveira arrives, has adopted a similar approach to Pintado, who was sacked after a poor start to the second top flight campaign for Dourado.
Under lubel, this team have often sat back, focusing on maintaining a solid defensive shape while taking few chances in possession.
That can explain why the club from Mato Grosso have failed to score more than a single goal in a domestic encounter this season, registering four shots or fewer on target in eight of their nine contests to date.
They have failed to score in two of their four home fixtures, and Oliveira will know that if his side want to escape the relegation zone that form will need to improve with three of their next four matches at Arena Pantanal.
Last season they played Corinthians they lost both domestic matches against them by a single goal, and they have not won a league game this season when conceding first.
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Timao began the month of June on a winning note, earning a point for a third consecutive road fixture, moving into first in the Brasileiro Serie A table with 18 points, thanks to a 0-0 draw between Palmeiras and Atletico Mineiro.
Like Cuiaba, the club from Tatuape are by no means the most potent side in the league, scoring a goal or fewer in six of their last seven domestic fixtures, but they have done a much better job defensively, conceding multiple goals only twice so far this season.
Vitor Pereira will be happy to know that his players were able to strike first on Saturday for the first time since early May when they defeated both Fortaleza and Bragantino by a 1-0 score.
At times, they do allow their share of possession, but defensively they have been quite compact, closing off space with their backline rarely caught out of position.
When this team find their noses in front, they can be a hard team to catch, winning every one of their Serie A fixtures this year in that scenario, conceding only once after drawing first blood.
They will fancy their chances to remain top of the table over the coming weeks, with three of their next four encounters being against clubs currently in or slightly above the relegations zone (Cuiaba, Juventude and Goias).
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Team News
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Andre notched his first domestic goal for Cuiaba on Saturday in a losing effort, while Marquinhos collected his first assist of the campaign.
Alesson missed their weekend fixture because of a yellow card suspension, while their leading goalscorer last season, Elton, also sat out of that contest with a thigh injury, while Andre Luis and Jonathan Cafu will be eager to get on the field for this match as they are both currently on loan from Corinthians.
We saw several new additions to the Cuiaba starting 11 on Saturday as Joao Carlos, Joao Lucas, Camilo, Marquinhos, Rafael Gava, and Andre were all inserted into the lineup in place of Walter, Daniel Guedes, Cristhian Rivas, Alesson, Felipe Marques and Jenison.
In their victory over the weekend, Gustavo Mantuan scored the only goal for Corinthians on their lone shot on target, as he now sits second on the team in that category.
Lucas Piton moved past Willian into the team lead for assists with his second of the campaign, and Cassio is now tied for first in the league when it comes to clean sheets alongside Weverton and Everson, making three saves over the weekend for his fifth shutout of the season.
Maycon was suspended for their matchup with Goianiense, Raul Gustavo missed that game following a positive COVID test, Willian has an ankle injury and Joao Victor is nursing an ankle sprain.
Those are just two of the many Corinthians players who have been bitten by the injury bug this season, as Fagner also has an ankle sprain, Jo has a problem with his leg, Luan has a hip issue, while Paulinho and Ruan are out with ACL injuries.
Cuiaba possible starting lineup:
Walter; Uendel, Empereur, Marllon, Guedes; Pepe, Rivas; Marquinhos, Valdivia, Gava; Cafu
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Fabio Santos, Gil, Bambu, Joao Pedro; Roni, Queiroz, Augusto; Guedes, Moraes, Silva
We say: Cuiaba 0-1 Corinthians
Corinthians have looked more than comfortable away from home, making the most of their opportunities in the final third, and we expect their patience and persistence will eventually pay off against a Cuiaba team who are well organised but rarely bring numbers forward to attack.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
