On Sunday, 16 June Fluminense will host Atletico Goianiense in the 9th round of the Brazilian Serie A. The hosts have had a disappointing start to the season, currently sitting 16th in the standings with six points, whilst the visitors are at 18th, trailing their upcoming opponents by a single point.
Fluminense stumbled at the start of the current season, positioned just above the relegation zone in 16th place and having lost half of their matches. In the last five rounds, Fluminense has not won, alternating between defeats and draws, with their only victory coming a few weeks ago against Vasco da Gama. Fernando Diniz’s side couldn't respond to Bastos' goal in the 67th minute, leading to a 1-0 defeat against Botafogo last week. Defensive issues continue to plague the Copa Libertadores champions, conceding the second-highest number of goals in the division (14). At home, Fluminense ranks 11th overall: having amassed 6 points, scoring 7 goals, and conceding 6. Despite their challenges in defence, Fluminense's attack has been somewhat more promising, scoring in eight of their last nine matches across all competitions. They will miss Colombian midfielder Yony Arias, who is away on Copa America duty, and Andre Trindade, sidelined with a knee injury until the end of the month. The offensive trio of Marquinhos, Cano, and Kennedy is expected to spearhead the attack, with the experienced Ganso providing support from midfield. Marlon and Silva will form the centre-back partnership, with Fabio donning the goalkeeper gloves.
Much like their opponents, Atletico Goianiense also had a rocky start, securing only one win and two draws in eight matches, placing them 18th in the standings. Last week, the red-and-blacks drew 2-2 with Corinthians, who played nearly an hour with ten men. Despite Gustavo Henrique’s red card in the 34th minute, a goal from Yuri Alberto put their opponents two up; however, second-half strikes from Kaka and Shaylon's penalty in stoppage time earned them a point. Atletico has managed just one away victory, placing them 10th in the away games table with four points, having scored and conceded three goals each. Moreover, Atletico failed to score in four of their last nine matches across all competitions. Missing from their squad will be midfielders Gustavo Campanharo and Derek, both out until the end of the month due to injuries. Emiliano Rodrigues, yet to score this season, is expected to command the left flank of the attack, supported by Rodrigues and Fernando. The midfield is anticipated to remain unchanged with Baralhas and Roldni anchoring the centre. Martins and Alix will pair up in central defence, with Ronaldo (ironically) as the goalkeeper.
The last time these teams met was in October 2022 when Atletico secured a 3-2 victory. Fluminense hasn't beaten Atletico in their last six encounters!
Both teams have had a dreadful start to the campaign and find themselves dangerously close to relegation. Despite Atletico Goianiense's relatively better form of just one defeat in their last four games, Fluminense can count on the support of their home crowd and are likely to attack from the onset. I’ll risk backing the reigning Copa Libertadores champions.
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Botafogo | 33 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 52:26 | 68 | |
2 | Palmeiras | 33 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 54:27 | 64 | |
3 | Fortaleza | 33 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 47:32 | 63 | |
4 | Internacional | 33 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 18 | 46:28 | 59 | |
5 | Flamengo | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 51:37 | 58 | |
6 | Sao Paulo | 33 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 47:34 | 57 | |
7 | Cruzeiro | 33 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 38:35 | 47 | |
8 | Bahia | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 43:42 | 46 | |
9 | Vasco da Gama | 33 | 12 | 7 | 14 | -13 | 36:49 | 43 | |
10 | Corinthians | 33 | 10 | 11 | 12 | -2 | 39:41 | 41 | |
11 | Atletico Mineiro | 31 | 10 | 11 | 10 | -4 | 42:46 | 41 | |
12 | Gremio | 33 | 11 | 6 | 16 | -4 | 38:42 | 39 | |
13 | Vitoria | 33 | 11 | 5 | 17 | -10 | 38:48 | 38 | |
14 | Fluminense | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | -8 | 28:36 | 37 | |
15 | Criciuma | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | -9 | 39:48 | 37 | |
16 | Juventude | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | -12 | 40:52 | 37 | |
17 | RB Bragantino | 33 | 8 | 12 | 13 | -6 | 34:40 | 36 | |
18 | Athletico Paranaense | 32 | 9 | 7 | 16 | -7 | 34:41 | 34 | |
19 | Cuiaba | 33 | 6 | 11 | 16 | -16 | 25:41 | 29 | |
20 | Atletico Goianiense | 33 | 6 | 8 | 19 | -26 | 24:50 | 26 | |
1 | Fortaleza | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29:8 | 43 | |
2 | Palmeiras | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 33:12 | 38 | |
3 | Sao Paulo | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 28:14 | 38 | |
4 | Botafogo | 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 28:11 | 37 | |
5 | Internacional | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 26:13 | 35 | |
6 | Cruzeiro | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 27:13 | 34 | |
7 | Flamengo | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 25:17 | 33 | |
8 | Bahia | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 21:12 | 32 | |
9 | Vasco da Gama | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 25:21 | 31 | |
10 | Corinthians | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 29:16 | 29 | |
11 | Juventude | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 26:22 | 29 | |
12 | RB Bragantino | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20:16 | 26 | |
13 | Gremio | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 22:20 | 25 | |
14 | Atletico Mineiro | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 24:23 | 24 | |
15 | Fluminense | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 17:14 | 24 | |
16 | Vitoria | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 20:22 | 23 | |
17 | Criciuma | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 20:19 | 23 | |
18 | Athletico Paranaense | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 19:18 | 18 | |
19 | Atletico Goianiense | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 13:22 | 17 | |
20 | Cuiaba | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 13:17 | 14 | |
1 | Botafogo | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 24:15 | 31 | |
2 | Palmeiras | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 21:15 | 26 | |
3 | Flamengo | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 26:20 | 25 | |
4 | Internacional | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 20:15 | 24 | |
5 | Fortaleza | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 18:24 | 20 | |
6 | Sao Paulo | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 19:20 | 19 | |
7 | Atletico Mineiro | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 18:23 | 17 | |
8 | Athletico Paranaense | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 15:23 | 16 | |
9 | Vitoria | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 18:26 | 15 | |
10 | Cuiaba | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12:24 | 15 | |
11 | Bahia | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 22:30 | 14 | |
12 | Gremio | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 16:22 | 14 | |
13 | Criciuma | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 19:29 | 14 | |
14 | Cruzeiro | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 11:22 | 13 | |
15 | Fluminense | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 11:22 | 13 | |
16 | Vasco da Gama | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 11:28 | 12 | |
17 | Corinthians | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 10:25 | 12 | |
18 | RB Bragantino | 17 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 14:24 | 10 | |
19 | Atletico Goianiense | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 11:28 | 9 | |
20 | Juventude | 16 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 14:30 | 8 |
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