Serie A team Fortaleza welcome second-tier side CRB to Castelao on Thursday for the first leg of their Copa do Brasil Round of 16 clash.
Fortaleza currently find themselves third in the Brazilian top-flight – four points behind first-place Palmeiras.
O elenco tricolor se reapresentou na tarde de hoje e já virou a chave para focar nas #OitavasDeFinal da @CopadoBrasil .📸 Leonardo Moreira/FEC#FortalezaEC #CopaDoBrasil pic.twitter.com/dYg7WYFjw1— Fortaleza Esporte Clube ⭐️ (@FortalezaEC) July 26, 2021
O elenco tricolor se reapresentou na tarde de hoje e já virou a chave para focar nas #OitavasDeFinal da @CopadoBrasil .📸 Leonardo Moreira/FEC#FortalezaEC #CopaDoBrasil pic.twitter.com/dYg7WYFjw1
Meanwhile, CRB head into Thursday’s clash sitting third in the Serie B standings – six points shy of unbeaten league-leaders Nautico.
Fortaleza have made a promising start to the 2021 campaign, losing just two of their 13 league matches this year (eight wins, three draws).
Having conceded just nine goals in the process, Fortaleza boast the best defensive record in the top division.
In fact, Fortaleza head into Thursday’s clash on the back of four straight wins in Serie A, with a clean sheet coming in each of those games.
When it comes to the Copa do Brasil, Fortaleza haven’t lost any of their previous six matches in the competition.
Given Fortaleza’s seemingly unstoppable form, CRB are likely to struggle to get the better of the Serie A outfit.
That said, CRB can take confidence from the fact that they have won each of their last three away games in the Copa do Brasil.
On top of that, they have only lost one of their previous seven encounters in the Copa do Brasil, so they will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds.
In the league, CRB have only lost four of their 14 Serie B games this term, picking up seven wins and three draws along the way.
With 21 goals to their name, they are the third-highest scorers in the division. However, they have conceded 20 goals, too, giving them the second-worst defensive record.
Head-to-head: Fortaleza and CRB have faced each other 16 times since 2001, with CRB winning just five times during that period.
When the two sides met in their most recent encounter back in March 2021, Fortaleza picked up a 1-0 victory.
It is also worth noting that three of the last four matches between these teams have produced over 2.5 goals.
Team news: Both Fortaleza and CRB have no injury worries at the moment, meaning both managers are set to field a full-strength starting XI on Thursday.
Although Fortaleza have started the season in eye-catching fashion, CRB will be confident of causing an upset this week after hitting the ground running in 2021.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that CRB will frustrate Fortaleza and hold them to a goalless draw on Thursday.