Just a single point separates Athletico Paranaense and Ceara as the two sides prepare to face off at Arena da Baixada on Wednesday.
Tenth-place Ceara sits just ahead of eleventh-place Athletico Paranaense in the Brazilian Serie A standings – and both teams head into Wednesday’s clash in decent form.
Athletico-PR come into Matchday 31 on a two-game unbeaten streak, having picked up a win and a draw since their last loss.
After picking up an impressive 2-2 draw with high-flying Flamengo, Athletico-PR beat Red Bull Bragantino last time out.
Given that both of Athletico Paranaense’s previous two opponents find themselves in the top four, Alberto Valentim’s men can be proud of their recent efforts.
Despite sitting eleventh in the table, only six teams have scored more goals than Athletico Paranaense this season.
At the opposite end of the pitch, however, things aren’t going so well. Having conceded 39 goals, Athletico-PR have the joint-second worst defensive record in the division.
On the flip side, Ceara head into Wednesday’s clash on a four-match unbeaten streak, which has seen them rise up the standings.
Following draws with Juventude and Bahia, Ceara have claimed back-to-back 1-0 victories over Fluminense and Cuiba.
That means Tiago Nunes’ side have kept three clean sheets in their previous four outings. As a result, they boast one of the best defensive records in the league.
It is worth noting that no team in Serie A has registered more draws than Ceara. In fact, the Fortaleza outfit have drawn exactly half of their 30 games this term.
Consequently, only two sides have lost fewer games than Ceara this season, meaning they should be difficult to beat on Wednesday.
Head-to-head: Both Athletico-PR and Ceara have already picked up one win in this fixture this season, and both teams kept a clean sheet in the process.
When you look at the bigger picture, however, you will discover that Ceara have only managed to win one of their previous ten meetings with Athletico-PR in all competitions.
Team news: Athletico Paranaense will be without injured duo Lucas Halter and Babi Matheus on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Ceara currently have Buiu, Vitor Jacare and Wendson Lopes on the sidelines due to injury.
With only one point between the teams in the table, Athletico Paranaense and Ceara are set to produce a closely-fought encounter on Wednesday.
Forbet predicts that Athletico-PR and Ceara will play out a low-scoring draw at Arena da Baixada.