The last of the midweek Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A action sees Avai welcome struggling Fortaleza to Ressacada on Thursday night.
With 11 games in the books, Fortaleza find themselves rock bottom of the table after picking up a solitary win this season.
Meanwhile, Avai are sitting comfortably in mid-table – seven points clear of Avai – having won four of their 11 outings this term.
Avai head into Thursday’s clash on the back of a 1-0 victory over Botafogo. Remarkably, Botafogo racked up 21 shots, while Avai managed just two attempts on target.
That victory ended a run of five games without a win for Avai, who recorded one draw and four losses in the lead-up to last weekend’s clash.
Not only have Avai won one of their last six outings in all competitions, but they have also won just three of their previous 14.
It is also worth noting that Avai have failed to score more than one goal in any of their past six Serie A encounters.
As for Fortaleza, they are cut adrift at the foot of the standings following a dismal run of just one victory in 11 games.
That said, they come into this clash on a three-game unbeaten streak – having sealed one win and two draws since their last loss.
It is hardly surprising that Fortaleza are rooted to the bottom of the table, given that they are the lowest scorers in the division with just seven goals to their name.
Trends also show that each of Fortaleza’s last four away games have been level at half-time, so we are likely to see an uneventful first half of Thursday.
Head-to-head: Avai have only managed to win one of their last eight meetings with Fortaleza, suffering four defeats along the way.
Seven of the previous ten meetings between Avai and Fortaleza have produced over 1.5 goals, indicating that Thursday's clash could be a high-scoring affair.
Team news: Avai will be without the suspended Bruno Silva on Thursday after he picked up a red card in the win over Botafogo.
On the flip side, Fortaleza will be looking for top scorer Yago Pikachu to produce the goods. He is the only player to have score more than one goal for the club this season.
Although Fortaleza have enjoyed plenty of success against Avai over the years, the visitors are not expected to trouble the hosts this time around.
Forebet predicts that Avai will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Fortaleza.