Goias and Fortaleza return to action in the Brasileiro Serie A when they square off at the Estadio da Serrinha on Saturday (August 5).
The hosts’ Copa Sudamericana dreams took a huge blow, as they were thrashed 3-0 by Estudiantes in the first leg of their last-16 clash on Wednesday. Armando Evangelista’s side now return to the league, where they are unbeaten in three games, winning one since a 4-3 loss against Santos on July 9.
With 16 points from 17 games, Goias are 16th in the league table, just one point above the relegation zone.
Fortaleza, meanwhile, picked up a 1-0 win over Paraguayan outfit Libertad in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 on Tuesday. Before that, Juan Pablo Vojvoda’s men were on a three-game losing streak, including a 3-1 defeat at Palmeiras in the Serie A on July 22.
With 23 points from 17 games, Fortaleza are 11th in the standings, level on points with Cruzeiro and Internacional.
Buoyed by their win over Libertad, Fortaleza head into the weekend with renewed confidence as they look to stop the rot in the league They take on an out-of-sorts Goias side who have struggled at home, so expect Goais to pick up a second straight win across competitions.
Prediction: Goias 1-2 Fortaleza
Tip 1: Result - Fortaleza
Tip 2: First to score - Fortaleza (The visitors have opened the scoring in five of their last six meetings with Goais.)
Tip 3: Less than 10.5 corners - Yes (There have been fewer than five corners in five of their last six clashes.)