Sao Paulo will be aiming to end their three-match winless run in the league when they host Flamengo at Morumbi in the round 21 of the Brasileiro Serie A on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Rubro-Negro are riding a three-match winning streak and currently occupy top spot in the table as the season reaches its midway point.
Match preview
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Sao Paulo secured a 2-0 victory over Goias in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil round of 16 tie on Wednesday, marking their first win in any competition since July 18.
The Tricolor Paulista will be hoping to carry this momentum into their league clash with Flamengo on Saturday to avoid slipping into the Copa Sudamericana qualification places.
Luis Zubeldia's side drew with Juventude and Botafogo before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Fortaleza last Saturday, leaving them sixth in the Serie A table, level on 32 points with seventh-placed Bahia and four points adrift of the final automatic Copa Libertadores spot.
Sao Paulo will be looking to extend their unbeaten home record on Saturday, having won five and drawn one of their last six matches at Morumbi across all competitions.
The six-time champions will also draw confidence from their unbeaten record in the last two home matches against Saturday's opponents in all competitions, winning one and drawing the other.
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Flamengo have one foot in the next round of the Copa do Brasil following a 2-0 win over Palmeiras in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.
It was a fourth consecutive victory for the Rubro-Negro in all competitions, having won their last three league matches, including a comfortable 2-0 triumph over bottom side Atletico Goianiense at the Estadio do Maracana.
Tite's men are level on 40 points with second-placed Botafogo, albeit with a game in hand, leaving them in a strong position to open up a gap at the top of the table.
The seven-time champions boast the joint-best away record in the current Serie A campaign (shared with Botafogo), while they have scored the most goals and conceded the third fewest on their travels.
Flamengo head into Sunday's clash unbeaten in six of their last seven away matches across all competitions – recording five wins and one draw – with a 2-1 defeat against Juventude on June 27 the exception.
Team News
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Sao Paulo will be without Luciano for this clash after the midfielder passed the yellow card threshold last time out.
The hosts will also line up without Pablo Maia, who has been out since suffering a thigh injury in May, forward Alisson, who has missed is sidelined with an ankle issue, and Giuliano Galoppo, who is out with a foot injury.
Flamengo will remain without Bruno Henrique, who is nursing an ankle injury he picked up against Cuiaba on July 7.
Pedro has 10 goals and five assists in 19 league appearances for Rubro-Negro this season and the 27-year-old will be the one to watch.
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Vinicius, Arboleda, Franco, Welington; Bobadilla, Gustav; Moura, Nestor, Ferreira; Calleri
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Cunha; Varela, Bruno, Luiz, Ayrton; Pulgar, Gerson, De Arrascaeta; Araujo, Pedro, Everton
We say: Sao Paulo 1-1 Flamengo
These are familiar rivals who have always contested closely regardless of the form of each team, which is why we believe that this will not be a straightforward win for Flamengo.
In addition, Sao Paulo have been solid on home turf, losing just one of their last 13 home matches across all competitions.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
