There are several fixtures to look forward to in the third round of the 2021 Copa do Brasil this week, including the meeting between Fortaleza and Ceará at the Estádio Governador Plácido Aderaldo Castelo.
This is a derby match between two teams who share the same stadium and therefore, the teams will not have far to travel for both legs of this tie.
Fortaleza come into the match having defeated Atlético Mineiro 2-1 away from home on the opening weekend of Serie A. Having fallen behind in the 40th minute of the game, Fortaleza came back strongly in the second half to score in the 60th minute and net the winning goal in the 90th minute of the match.
That result means Fortaleza are on a run of 6 straight wins in all competitions. Five of the 6 victories came in the Cearense 1, including a penalty shootout win over upcoming cup opponents, Ceará in the final.
This will be the second fixture of the season in the Copa do Brasil for Fortaleza having overcome Ypiranga Erechim 1-0 at home in the second round.
However, Fortaleza do not have a good recent record in this competition and they have won only 2 of their last 7 Copa do Brasil games.
Nonetheless, their home record is excellent and Fortaleza are undefeated in each of their last 12 home cup fixtures, winning 9 of those matches.
Ceará joined Fortaleza on maximum points in Serie A as they defeated Grêmio 3-2 at home on the weekend. Ceará were 2-0 up before half-time but Grêmio pulled one back just before the interval.
The away team scored the equaliser 4 minutes into the second half but Ceará struck in the 90th minute to take maximum points.
That result means Ceará have won 4 of their last 6 matches in all competitions but they have lost 2 of their last 3, including a defeat at Jorge Wilstermann in the Copa Sudamericana. That result ended their interest in the competition.
Ceará reached the quarter-final of the Copa do Brasil last season but were defeated by Palmeiras. Their away record in the cup is good and Ceará are undefeated in 11 of their last 12 away Copa do Brasil matches. However, they have kept only 2 clean sheets in their 6 most recent away cup fixtures.
Looking ahead to the team news and Fortaleza will be without the injured duo of Gustavo Blanco and Jackson, who are out until mid-June.
Ceará are without the suspended Stiven Mendoza. They also have three players on the treatment table, with Fabinho, Luiz Otávio, and Vítor Jacaré unavailable due to injury.