Fortaleza will host Corinthians in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A on Monday night, hoping to claim their third successive home victory.
The visitors, meanwhile, are unbeaten in each of their last six away games across all competitions, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
Match preview
© Reuters
After losing 2-1 to Athletico Paranaense last weekend, Fortaleza bounced back with an impressive 4-0 victory at home against America Mineiro on Wednesday.
Just a few minutes after Yago Pikachu hit the inside of the post, Ederson rifled in the opening goal in first-half stoppage time to give the hosts the lead. A brace from David and a strike from Igor Torres after the break ensured Fortaleza cruised to victory, claiming all three points for the fifth time this campaign.
Juan Pablo Vojvoda's men remain in fifth place despite the victory, though they have moved to within four points of Palmeiras and Bragantino, who currently occupy the top two positions.
Fortaleza, who were promoted to the top-flight in 2018, have impressed in their first 10 league games of the season, finding the net 18 times; only Bragantino have scored more goals so far this campaign.
The Lion of the Pici have only faced Corinthians four times in the last 13 years and have failed to win a single encounter against them during this period.
However, securing all three points on Monday could see Fortaleza move back into the top-four if other results were to go in their favour.
© Reuters
Corinthians extended their unbeaten league run to six matches when they claimed a slender 1-0 away victory against Chapecoense on Friday.
Former Manchester City striker Jo scored his fourth goal of the campaign, when he poked the ball past goalkeeper Joao Paulo from close range on the hour mark.
That strike was enough for the Timao to claim just their third victory of the season, moving them up to 10th and four points behind Monday's opponents Fortaleza.
Head coach Sylvinho has made his side tough to beat so far this term, with Corinthians conceding just seven goals from their opening 10 matches, the fewest in the division. They are also one of two sides – along with Bragantino – who are yet to lose on the road, claiming nine points from their five away games.
Corinthians have won three of their last four meetings away at Fortaleza and another victory on Monday could see them climb into the top six.
- D
- L
- D
- W
- L
- W
- D
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Fortaleza will still be without experienced forward Wellington Paulista and midfielder Matheus Jussa, who are suffering with respective calf and shoulder injuries.
Vojvoda may be tempted to stick with the same starting lineup that won in midweek, though the likes of Ronald, Romarinho and Torres will all be hoping to force their way into the first XI.
As for Corinthians, Leo Natel (shoulder), Gustavo Mantuan (knee), Caique Franca (hernia) and Ruan Oliveira (knee) all remain on the treatment table with injuries.
Winger Marquinhos, who has come off the bench in each of the last three matches, will be hoping he can start ahead of either Gustavo Silva or Mateus Vital, while Jo is expected to lead the line once again.
A back four of Fagner, Joao Victor, Gil and Fabio Santos – shielding goalkeeper Cassio – has started together in nine of their 10 league games this season, and they are all likely to keep their places in the side again on Monday.
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Alves; Tinga, Benevenuto, Titi; Pikachu, Ederson, Felipe, Crispim; Vargas; Robson, David
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Fagner, Victor, Gil, Santos; Cantillo, Gabriel; Gustavo, Vitinho, Vital; Jo
We say: Fortaleza 1-1 Corinthians
One of the league's best teams in front of goal will face the tightest defence at the Estadio Presidente Vargas, with Monday's encounter set to be a closely-fought contest.
The last two meetings between Fortaleza and Corinthians ended as draws, and with little to separate the two teams, the same result could be played out in Ceara.
Top tip
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 Fortaleza win with a probability of 44.93%. A draw had a probability of 27.8% and a win for Corinthians had a probability of 27.22%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fortaleza win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.41%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.89%) and 2-1 (8.58%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.94%), while for a Corinthians win it was 0-1 (9.77%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Fortaleza in this match.
