Flamengo will look to continue applying pressure to Atletico Mineiro at the top of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A table on Sunday, when they travel to take on Internacional.
The Rubro-Negro made it three wins on the bounce and seven games unbeaten last time out, but they remain eight points off top spot with six games to go.
Match preview
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Internacional have enjoyed a relatively strong season in the Brazilian top flight, and they remain in the race for a top-six finish heading into the final straight of the campaign.
After a relatively disappointing start by their own standards, Sunday's hosts have vastly improved since August, winning nine of their last 19 league games including a thrashing of Flamengo, as Yuri Alberto netted a hat-trick and Taison scored in a 4-0 win over Sunday's opponents.
After a 2-1 win over Athletico Paranaense, the Clube do Povo's top-six hopes took a hit last time out, as a trip to Cuiaba resulted in a 1-0 defeat.
However, Diego Aguirre will have been somewhat relieved to see fifth-placed Corinthians and sixth-placed Fortaleza also fall to losses, meaning his side remain just two points away from the latter and three points behind the former.
With five games to go, they will hope to make a quick return to winning ways as they push for Copa Libertadores football next season, but Aguirre's men face the tough task of taking on a Flamengo side in a hot run of form.
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After a mixed start to the season, the Rubro-Negro kicked into gear in style to maintain a chance of retaining the league title, albeit an increasingly slim one.
Renato Gaucho's men have won eight of their last 13 league outings and collected 28 points to surge through the pack and establish themselves in the top two, and they now head into Sunday's game in a run of three straight victories.
Following a disappointing draw with basement side Chapecoense, they thrashed Bahia 3-0 and Sao Paulo 4-0, with Michael hitting a brace and Bruno Henrique and Gabriel Barbosa each hitting goals in the latter.
Gaucho's side had to win in different fashion last time out, as they dug deep to find a 94th-minute winner through Henrique, after their home clash with Corinthians looked set to end goalless.
With Atletico Mineiro leading by eight points with six matches to go, Flamengo can only focus on continuing to pick up victories and hoping for mistakes from the league leaders, and, given their recent run, they will be confident of doing that on Sunday.
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Team News
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Internacional will continue to be without several players, as Daniel, Taison, Rodrigo Moledo and Lucas Roggia are all set to continue spells on the sidelines.
However, they will welcome defenders Victor Cuesta and Moises and midfielder Mauricio back to the squad, after the trio all served suspensions last time out.
Forward Yuri Alberto has caught eyes this season, having scored 11 league goals so far, and he will continue to lead the line.
Edenilson will be confident of making a return to the starting XI, having been reduced to a substitute appearance last time out after netting a brace in a 2-1 win over Athletico Paranaense.
Given the gruelling schedule, Gaucho rotated his Flamengo side last time out to manage their workload, and we could see him revert to the trusted starting XI on Sunday.
Star striker Gabriel Barbosa, who has hit 10 goals in 15 league games this term, was absent against Corinthians, and he could continue to miss out, leaving Bruno Henrique to lead the line after his winner off the bench in that game.
Uruguay international Giorgian de Arrascaeta is also out of action, but, with the likes of Michael and Everton Ribeiro, they have plenty of options on the flanks.
Willian Arao and Manchester United loanee Andreas Pereira should both return to the starting XI to reform their impressive midfield pairing, while former Chelsea and Arsenal centre-back David Luiz will continue to general the back line.
Internacional possible starting lineup:
Lomba; Saravia, Mendez, Cuesta, Moises; Dourado, Cardoso; Edenilson, Palacios, Patrick; Alberto
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Souza; Matheuzinho, Luiz, Caio, Rene; Pereira, Arao; Michael, Diego, Ribeiro; Henrique
We say: Internacional 0-2 Flamengo
Despite missing several important players, Flamengo are playing at the peak of their powers, and we cannot look past them making it four victories on the bounce on Sunday.
The Rubro-Negro showed their winning mentality against Corinthians, and they know there is no room for error if they are to keep their slim title hopes alive.
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 Flamengo win with a probability of 46.1%. A win for Internacional had a probability of 28.91% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Flamengo win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.28%) and 0-2 (7.8%). The likeliest Internacional win was 1-0 (7.55%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.83%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Flamengo would win this match.
