Two teams separated by one point and a place in the standings will clash when Sao Paulo hosts Mirassol in their gameweek 10 Brazilian Serie A fixture at the MorumBIS stadium on Saturday.
Sitting eleventh in the standings with 12 points after nine matches, the hosts will be aiming to record their third straight win across all competitions, while the visitors will be aiming for their second victory in three league games.
Match preview
© Imago
Having finished sixth last term, fans of Sao Paulo would have hoped for a better start to the season, but the Sovereigns failed to win in their first four matches of the season, before they managed a 2-1 triumph over Santos in gameweek five.
After that victory, the home side went on a three-game winless streak, which came to an end courtesy of a 2-1 win over Gremio last time out.
The Club of Faith found themselves trailing after Alexander Aravena opened the scoring in the 37th minute, but Luis Zubeldia's men restored parity in the 49th minute through Robert Arboleda, before Andre Silva's penalty completed the comeback.
Heading into this fixture, the home side will be in a confident mood, having dominated the last five meetings between them - a run which includes three wins and two draws.
More so, Luis Zubeldia's side have been unbeaten at home, after two wins and three draws in five fixtures at home, meaning Mirassol have their work cut out.
Although Mirassol had to wait until gameweek four to register their first win in the Brazilian top division, they did it in grand style by thumping former champions Gremio 4-1 on April 16.
However, the newcomers could not build on that result, going three games without a win, before they got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Corinthians in gameweek eight.
Mirassol could have recorded another famous win in their last outing, but they could not hold on with 13 minutes left on the clock against Corinthians to end the game one goal apiece after taking the lead as early as the eighth minute.
That result leaves them 12th in the standings with nine points across 11 matches in the current season.
Despite being in the bottom half of the table, Eduardo Barroca will be pleased with his team's performance in their debut season so far, considering they have the second-best scoring record in the league with 14 goals.
A win for the visiting side will see them leap over the home side, and it will be their first triumph against the hosts since July 2020.
Team News
© Imago
Forward Lucas Moura is not expected to be part of Zubeldia's plans for this encounter, as the former Tottenham Hotspur man is taking time off.
This fixture will come too soon for Igor Vinicius and Henrique, both of whom have been ruled out due to back and ankle injuries respectively.
Uruguayan Jonathan Calleri will sit out this contest due to a knee injury, while Gustavo Luiz is on the sidelines due to illness.
For Mirassol, Leo Gamalho will not be a part of the travelling squad due to a niggling calf injury.
The duo of David Bras and Matheus Sales are recuperating from muscle injuries and are not going to play any part in this contest.
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Diaz, Arboleda, Sabino, Ferraresi; Alisson, Antonio; Oscar, Luciano, Ferreira; Silva
Mirassol possible starting lineup:
Walter; Ramon, Victor, Jemmes, Reinaldo; Danielzinho, Moura, Aldo; Gabriel, Castilho, Carioca
We say: Sao Paulo 1-0 Mirassol
Sao Paulo have had a slow start to the season with only two wins; however, they have been impressive at home and with their dominance over their opponents, we are backing them to claim a narrow 1-0 win over the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
