The new Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A season gets underway this weekend, with Atletico Mineiro hosting Fortaleza on Sunday.
Atletico Mineiro finished third last season – just two points behind second-place Internacional and first-place Flamengo.
At the other end of the table, Fortaleza finished sixteenth – level with Vasco on 41 points. However, they avoided relegation thanks to their superior goal difference.
Atletico won 20 of their 38 league matches last term, recording eight draws and ten losses along the way.
With 64 goals to their name, Atletico were the second-highest scorers in the previous campaign – four goals shy of Flamengo.
It is worth pointing out that Atletico are unbeaten in their previous eight home games in the Brazilian top-flight.
Remarkably, Atletico Mineiro have only lost one of their last 19 Serie A home games and have scored in each of their previous eight.
Atletico crushed Deportivo La Guaira in the Copa Libertadores 4-0 on Wednesday, finishing top of Group H without losing a single match (five wins, one draw).
On the other hand, Fortaleza lost each of their final seven away league games at the end of the previous campaign.
To make matters worse, they have only managed to win one of their last 17 away games in Brazil’s top-flight.
On a brighter note, Fortaleza only conceded 44 goals in 38 Serie A games last season – giving them the best defensive record in the bottom half.
In fact, only seven teams in the Brazilian top-flight conceded fewer goals than Fortaleza in the previous campaign.
In their last outing, Fortaleza beat Ceara on penalties last weekend to win the Campeonato Cearense final.
Head-to-head: The recent head-to-head record between Atletico and Fortaleza is extremely even. Both sides have two of their last six meetings, with the other two games ending in a draw.
Looking at the bigger picture, Fortaleza have won four of their last nine meetings, with Atletico have only won three.
Team news: Atletico Mineiro have one injury concern at the moment, with attacking midfielder Matias Zaracho on the sidelines due to an ankle issue. Fortaleza have no injury worries.
Given that Atletico finished 27 points ahead of Fortaleza last season, the hosts are expected to claim all three points this weekend.
Forebet predicts that Atletico Mineiro will score over 2.5 goals on their way to overcoming Fortaleza on Sunday.