Fresh off the back of reaching the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama return to action in the Brasileiro Serie A when they go head to head on Saturday.
The Gigante da Colina, who have failed to win any of their last eight visits to the Estadio Maracana since November 2018, will head into the weekend looking to end this dry spell and secure consecutive league victories for the first time this season.
Match preview
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Fluminense booked the spot in the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil on Wednesday when they thrashed Aparecidense 4-1 at the Arena BRB Mane Garrincha to complete a 5-1 aggregate win over the Serie D outfit.
Having secured a 1-0 victory in the reverse leg on April 30, Fluminense found themselves trailing shortly after the half-hour mark when Wellington Carvalho put the fourth-tier side in front, but strikes from Samuel Xavier, Everaldo, Ganso and an own goal from Vanderly killed off any comeback attempt from the hosts.
Prior to that, Renato Portaluppi's men picked up a 2-0 win over Chilean outfit Union Espanola in the Copa Libertadores, where they currently sit second in Group F with 10 points from five matches, four days before salvaging a 1-1 draw against Juventude in Serie A on May 18.
Fluminense will look to build on their cup victory as they return to action in the league, where they have failed to win four of their most recent five matches — losing twice and claiming two draws — having won the three games preceding this run.
This drop-off in form has been owing to their recent struggles at the defensive end of the pitch as the Tricolor have conceded eight goals in five games since keeping consecutive clean sheets against Santos and Corinthians in April.
However, Fluminense will be backing themselves to bounce back this weekend as they return home, where they are on a run of three consecutive victories and are unbeaten across all competitions this season, claiming six wins and one draw from their seven games so far.
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Meanwhile, Vasco da Gama needed penalties to secure their spot in the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals after playing out a 1-1 stalemate with second-tier Operario-PR in the second leg of their third-round tie on Tuesday.
After fighting back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw in the reverse leg on May 1, late substitute Ademilson netted in the 93rd minute to cancel out Rayan's first-half strike at the Estadio Sao Januario and force penalties, where the hosts secured a 7-6 victory.
This followed a 3-0 victory over Fortaleza in the Serie A on May 17, when a second-half brace from Pablo Vagetti and Nuno Moreira's third-minute opener helped Vasco snap their run of nine consecutive games without a win, including four defeats from the previous four outings across all competitions.
Fernando Diniz's men have won just three of their nine Serie A matches so far while losing five and claiming one draw to collect 10 points and sit 13th in the league standings, four points and six places behind this weekend's hosts.
While Vasco will be looking to continue from where they left off in the Copa do Brasil and make it three wins on the bounce, results on the road offer little optimism as they have failed to win any of their last nine away games, losing seven and claiming two draws since beating Nova Iguancu in the Copa do Brasil on March 6.
Team News
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Fluminense will have to cope without the services of 27-year-old midfielder Nonato, who is currently suspended after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Aparecidense last time out.
On the injury front, Portaluppi will be unable to name the Uruguayan duo of Facundo Bernal and Agustin Canobbio, who have been ruled out through thigh and head injuries respectively.
They are joined on the sidelines by German Cano, who is recuperating from a knee problem while 31-year-old midfielder Otavio has been out of action since picking up an Achilles tendon injury back in March.
Meanwhile, Vasco da Gama will take to the pitch without Philippe Coutinho, who is suspended in the league after picking up a straight red card in the win against Fortaleza on May 17.
The trio of David, Guilherme Estrella and veteran forward Dimitri Payet have all been ruled out through knee injuries while 18-year-old Rayan is a major doubt for the Gigante da Colina after coming off injured in the cup win over Operario last time out.
Fluminense possible starting lineup:
Fabio; Xavier, Silva, Freytes, Fuentes; Martinelli, Hercules; Arias, Ganso, Serna; Everaldo
Vasco da Gama possible starting lineup:
Jardim; Henrique, Victor, Gustavo, Piton; Tche, Moura, Paula; Vitor, Vegetti, Moreira
We say: Fluminense 3-1 Vasco da Gama
After weeks of mediocre results, Vasco da Gama have picked up two consecutive victories and will head into the weekend with renewed confidence. However, Fluminense have been near impenetrable at home this season and we predict that they will extend their dominant home streak against Vasco with a comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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Joshua Ojele
