Sao Paulo and Athletico Paranaense are separated by a solitary point ahead of their Brazilian Serie A showdown at Morumbi on Wednesday.
With 10 games in the books, eighth-placed Sao Paulo trail seventh-placed Athletico Paranaense, who find themselves two points shy of the top four.
Can Sao Paulo end their two-game losing run in the league? Or will Athletico Paranaense extend their unbeaten streak to three matches?
Sao Paulo head into Wednesday’s clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Palmeiras, which followed a 2-1 loss against Gremio.
It is worth noting, however, that Sao Paulo enjoyed a seven-game unbeaten run in the league across April and May, notching four wins and three draws in that time.
In all competitions, Sao Paulo have won five of their previous eight outings, securing a 5-0 thrashing of Deportes Tolima in the Copa Sudamericana last week.
Having won four of their five home league games this season – scoring 11 goals in the process – Sao Paulo will be confident of picking up another positive result on Wednesday.
On the flip side, Athletico Paranaense played out a 2-2 draw with America-MG last time out, throwing away a 2-0 lead while conceding in the 96th minute.
As a result, Athletico-PR have avoided defeat in each of their last three outings across all competitions, recording two wins and one draw.
Athletico Paranaense won four of their opening six league games at the start of the season. However, they have recorded one win, one draw and two losses since then.
It is also worth pointing out that Athletico-PR have managed to win just one of their five away league games this term, taking four points from a possible 15 on the road.
Head-to-head: Not only have Athletico Paranaense won just one of their last six meetings with Sao Paulo, but they have also won two of the previous 11.
On top of that, Sao Paulo have won six of their last 11 Serie A matches against Athletico Paranaense, suffering only two defeats only the way.
Team news: Sao Paulo’s extensive injury list features Joao Moreira, Andre Anderson, Igor Vinicius, Talles Costa, Welington, Erison, Jandrei and Alexandre Pato.
Athletico Paranaense have a number of injury absentees of their own, including Marcelo Cirino, Leo Cittandini and Romulo.
Give the one-point gap between these two sides in the table, Wednesday’s showdown looks set to be a close contest.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score at Morumbi. However, Sao Paulo are expected to outscore Athletico Paranaense and edge out the visitors.