Sunday evening features the Brazilian Serie A clash between hosts, Flamengo, and the visitors, Sao Paulo, as the two teams meet at the Maracana with Flamengo going in search of a fourth win on the trot in all competitions.
Flamengo have lifted themselves up into 6th place on the Serie A ladder thanks to recent league wins against Chapecoense 2-1 at home and a convincing 5-0 thrashing of Bahia last time out on the road, while in between times, Flamengo also recorded a 1-0 win away at Argentinian outfit, Defensa y Justicia, in the Copa Libertadores.
These three wins will have certainly helped lift Flamengo’s spirits and confidence and will have been a welcome boost after the hosts suffered previous back-to-back defeats against Fluminense in the ‘Flu-Fla’ derby and Atletico Mineiro in Serie A.
Nevertheless, Flamengo are a serious threat especially on home soil where they’ve won eight out of their last 10 games at the Maracana, while their forward trio of Barbosa, Pedro and Henrique (3 goals apiece) pose serious goal threats.
Sao Paulo earned a solid point in a 1-1 draw at home with Argentinian outfit, Racing Club, in their recent Copa Libertadores clash but then succumbed to a 1-0 loss at home in their following match in Serie A against Fortaleza.
Sao Paulo also have their 2nd leg tie in the Copa Libertadores coming up next but a tough assignment awaits them in the shape of Flamengo at the Maracana this Sunday afternoon especially as Sao Paulo have registered just two league wins to date this term.
Back-to-back wins against Internacional and Bahia seemed to promise a brighter sequence of results for Sao Paulo but they duly slumped to defeat at home to the aforementioned Fortaleza in their next fixture, while five defeats within their opening 12 matches of this new Serie A season doesn’t bode well.
Sao Paulo have also struggled to find maximum points on the road in the Brazilian top flight as well with the visitors picking up just three away wins from their previous 13 matches on their travels, a sequence that also includes seven defeats.
In addition to failing to score in six of these 13 away games, Sao Paulo have also managed to keep just a single clean sheet during this period as well and this could spell trouble at Flamengo on Sunday afternoon.