Fortaleza will be looking to maintain their perfect start in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A when they lock horns with Sport Recife on Monday.
The hosts have scored 11 goals in their last four matches across all competitions, while the visitors have looked vulnerable in defence, conceding in each of their previous four games.
Match preview
Fortaleza have started their league campaign brightly, following up a 2-1 away win against Atletico Mineiro in their opening match with an impressive 5-1 victory at home to Internacional last weekend.
The deadlock was broken 17 minutes in when Lucas Crispim's free-kick hit the inside of the left post and rebounded straight into the path of defender Titi, who smashed the ball into an empty net.
Internacional's afternoon got even worse just before the break, when Pedro Henrique was shown a straight red card, as his high boot in the face of Robson was deemed to be reckless by VAR. Robson then got back up onto his feet and headed in Fortaleza's second from the resulting free-kick whipped in by Crispim.
The Lion of the Pici continued to dominate in the second half, with strikes from Yago Pikachu, Wellington Paulista and an own goal from Ze Gabriel sealing a comfortable win for the hosts.
That result moved Juan Pablo Vojvoda's side to the top of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A table and they are only one of three sides, along with Club Athletico Paranaense and Atletico Club Goianiense, who have a 100% record from their first two games.
Since last Sunday's victory, Fortaleza have beaten Ceara 3-0 in their Copa do Brazil third round tie, winning 4-1 on aggregate, which extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 matches.
The Lion of the Pici, who have won three of their last four home games against Sport Recife, would stay at the summit if they claim all three points once again on Monday.
© Reuters
Unlike Fortaleza, Sport Recife have yet to open their account in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, claiming just one point from their first two league matches.
A 2-2 draw away at Internacional was followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Atletico Mineiro last weekend.
Former Porto and Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Hulk scored the only goal of the game after 14 minutes to help the visitors seal a slender victory at the Estadio Da Ilha do Retiro.
The Lions are currently 14th in the table, one point above the relegation zone, but at such an early stage in the season, head coach Umberto Louzer will not be too concerned about his side's start to the campaign.
Sport Recife head into Monday's encounter with Fortaleza having won the most recent meeting against them, claiming a 1-0 victory in January thanks to a strike from Thiago Neves.
The Lions have failed to win any of their last four matches across all competitions, but a victory on Monday could seem them climb as high as fourth in the table.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Fortaleza boss Vojvoda is unlikely to make too many changes to the side that beat Internacional last weekend.
A 3-4-1-2 formation is set to be used once again, which will likely see defenders Titi, Tinga and Marcelo Benevenuto play in the back-three.
Attacking midfielder Matheus Vargas is expected to keep his place in the side, with Robson and David leading the line up front.
As for Sport Recife, they are unlikely to rotate their starting lineup, despite failing to win either of their opening two league games.
Experienced striker Santiago Trellez, who is yet to score in 2021, is set to remain on the bench with 22-year-old forward Mikael to start his third successive game.
Ricardinho and Marcao are likely to shield the back-four in defensive midfield roles, while Neves is expected to operate in the number 10 role, with Paulinho and Marquinhos set to feature on the flanks.
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Alves; Tinga, Benevenuto, Titi; Pikachu, Felipe, Jussa, Crispim; Vargas; Robson, David
Sport Recife possible starting lineup:
Maylson; Hayner, Thyere, Sabino, Junior; Ricardinho, Marcao; Paulinho, Neves, Marquinhos; Mikael
We say: Fortaleza 2-0 Sport Recife
Sport Recife will be looking to bounce back from a four-game winless run with a victory on Monday, however the hosts are in great form and could be hard to break down.
Their attacking threat in the final third should also help them secure all three points on home soil, extending their unbeaten run to 13 matches.
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 55.17%. A draw had a probability of 24.6% and a win for Sport Recife had a probability of 20.21%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fortaleza win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.18%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.78%) and 2-1 (9.52%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.63%), while for a Sport Recife win it was 0-1 (7.11%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Fortaleza in this match.
