In the early hours on Sunday morning, Santos and Red Bull Bragantino will both be looking to close the gap on the top four in the Brazilian Serie A when they go head-to-head at Estadio Urbano Caldeira.
After 12 games, the teams find themselves locked on 17 points – just outside the Copa Libertadores qualification places.
É o BAP! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/349wLXlx9Q— Santos FC (@SantosFC) June 16, 2022
É o BAP! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/349wLXlx9Q
Both sides are in good form, too, meaning we should see an exciting battle between two evenly matched teams.
Santos head into this clash on a four-game unbeaten streak, having claimed one win and three draws since their last loss.
After recording three straight draws against Athletico-PR, Internacional and Atletico-MG, Santos claimed a 2-1 victory over Juventude last time out.
When you look at the bigger picture, Santos have lost just one of their last eight games in all competitions – although they have picked up five draws in that time.
Having lost only two of their previous 12 outings, Santos will be confident of frustrating Red Bull Bragantino when they come to town.
As for Bragantino, they find themselves just behind Santos due to their inferior goal difference. Both sides have scored 16 goals this season, but Bragantino have conceded two goals more.
The Red Bulls head into this clash on a three-game unbeaten run, having claimed two wins and a draw since their last loss.
Thanks to a 4-2 thrashing of Coritiba last time out, Bragantino will fancy their chances of getting something from this weekend’s clash.
That said, the Red Bulls have lost six of their previous 11 matches across all competitions. Can they maintain their unbeaten streak?
Head-to-head: Remarkably, Santos and Bragantino registered five straight draws across 2020 and 2021, four of which produced under 2.5 goals.
That means Bragantino have failed to win any of their last seven meetings with Santos, suffering two defeats along the way.
Team news: Santos look set to be without the injured Madson this weekend, while Kaiky Melo is away on international duty.
As for the Red Bulls, they will be without the injured duo of Carlos Eduardo and Emiliano Mendez for the trip to Santos.
With Santos and Red Bull Bragantino locked on 17 points, this is destined to be a close-fought battle between two evenly matched sides.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Santos and Red Bull Bragantino will play out a low-scoring draw.