Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 15 (part two)

Continuing on with the preview of this weekend's Brasileirão, let's turn our attention to Sunday's afternoon matches.

Santos x Ceará (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Pacaembu)

Both Santos and Ceará have been struggling of late, so a win for either side would be vital. Ceará are coming into this game off the back of an extremely disappointing defeat at home to Avaí, where they were completely outplayed and beaten 3x0. Santos, the 2011 Copa Libertadores champions, are also in a poor phase, losing their last three matches and gaining heavy criticism from their supporters.

Against Ceará, Santos should not really have many problems and will more than likely win comfortably. They will be without wonderkid Neymar, who is suspended, but they will still be able to field a strong lineup capable of seeing off the Vozão.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS 

Internacional x Cruzeiro (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Beira-Rio)

Internacional and Cruzeiro face off against one another in Porto Alegre in what could certainly turn out to be the game of the round. Both teams have slumped a little over the past month, but they possess strong squads and we should see in exciting yet even match. Inter and Cruzeiro are both poised to go on a good run of form, and a win in this match could be perfect to kick that off.

Inter remain with several selection issues, Guiñazu, Zé Roberto, Bolatti and Gilberto are all injured, Oscar and Juan are away with the Brazilian U-20 squad, and Kleber and Wilson Matias are suspended. Coach Osmar Loss has been using a 4-5-1 formation recently, but with so many injuries in the midfield, it is expected that he will have to change his shape. 

Cruzeiro aren't without their own problems either, Thiago Ribeiro and Roger remain on the sidelines injured, but coach Joel Santana can still count on Montillo and Wallyson going forward. This will be an intriguing match, where we should see some goals and excitement. In my opinion, Cruzeiro will come through as narrow winners, but in truth this game could go either way.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Atlético-PR x Corinthians (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Arena da Baixada)

Leaders Corinthians continue on their run of favourable fixtures, in the past week they have faced 17th placed Avaí, 20th placed América and now they take on Atlético Paranaense in 19th place. This game could be dangerous though, as o Furacão have hit some decent form of late and look tough to beat at home in Curitiba. 

Corinthians have had their leader credentials well tested over the past few weeks, and some cracks are beginning to appear. Their defence does not look as assured as it was earlier in the season, and some particularly poor performances from young goalkeeper Renan has now made coach Tite axe him in favour of their terribly inexperienced third goalkeeper Danilo Fernandes. With their opponents visibly rattled by recent results, Atlético will be going all out for the upset.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

América-MG x Fluminense (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Arena do Jacaré)

InternaciIn the last of Sunday's afternoon matches América Mineiro host last year's champions Fluminense in Sete Lagoas. América, currently in 20th position in the league standings, have been in some real trouble of late and team morale appears to be at an all-time low. Fan's favourite Givanildo has came in as their new manager to try and steady the ship, but they will find it extremely hard against this Fluminense side.

Fluminense coach Abel Braga looks to have finally settled into the job and Fluminense are on their best run of form of this season so far. This week the club has been rocked with speculation surrounding the possible exit of national team striker Fred, with the 27 year old claiming he has recieved death threats from certain sections of the Fluminense support. They will continue without him this weekend, with Rafael Moura and Rafael Sobis playing up front. 

In Brasil, scandals like this often seem to affect on-field performance, but Fluminense are looking too good at this moment and should win this match comfortably.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

There you have it, Sunday's afternoon games all previewed. The final part of the preview is coming soon, a look at the three matches on Sunday evening, which includes an interesting clássico.

Brasileirão In Focus: Avaí

Competing in the Série A for the third year in a row (their seventh Série A in their history) Avaí will be hoping to cement their place this year amongst the mid-table of the Brasileirão. Nicknamed ‘o Leão da Ilha’ (the lion of the island), they hail from the coastal city of Florianópolis in Santa Catarina state in the south of the country. They are not a big team in Brazil by any means, their only national honour coming in the shape of the 1998 Série B title, but they are beginning to form their own identity in Brazil’s top league since gaining promotion in 2008.

The 2010 season was one of mixed emotions for Avaí, they were eliminated in the last 16 of the Copa do Brasil in a close game against Grêmio, and then later in the year they participated in the Copa Sulamericana, their first ever continental tournament. Avaí performed well in the Sulamericana, reaching the quarter finals. In the league, their form was inconsistent at best, and they ended up in 15th position, just safe from relegation.

The squad has changed significantly from last season with several departures, the most notable being Patric moving to Atlético Mineiro, and the trio of Émerson, Davi and Eltinho all joining newly promoted Coritiba. In the other direction, the transfers were more low-key, but the signing of Marquinhos from Santos was celebrated amongst Avaí supporters, being the midfielder’s return to the club he helped gain promotion in 2008.

Avaí play a 3-5-2 formation, with the cover provided by the three centre backs allowing the wing backs to function as attackers, a very Brazilian strategy. In defence, they are able to soak up pressure and get plenty players behind the ball, both on the flanks and through the middle. They are strong at set-pieces, with Marquinhos able to put some really good crosses in to the area.

Goalkeeper Renan will shine for Avaí, if they can hold on to him...

The real shining star of this team is the man between the sticks. 20-year old Renan is another of Brazil’s extremely promising young goalkeepers, and with a call-up from the national team already, Renan seems to be a little bit ahead of the rest. A great young keeper, excellent shot-stopping abilities, has a good command of his area and fabulous distribution. He’s a very important part of the Avaí side and they will be hoping that they can stave off interest from São Paulo giants Corinthians.

There are some other excellent talents in the squad, new-signing Jonathan Estrada looks like he will be integral to the Leão squad this season. The 28 year old Colombian is a central midfielder, and he is a tenacious ball winner, and also likes to drift out to the left and help the team going down the wing.

This year promises to be another season full of uncertainty, as already they have given a very poor performance in the Santa Catarina state championships, failing to make it to the final. However in the Copa do Brasil, they have progressed to the semi-finals against Vasco, after seeing off Botafogo and São Paulo in the earlier rounds. It goes without saying that Avaí are the definition of an unpredictable club, expect some disappointing results against poor opposition, and some mighty scalps against the grandes.

Expected Formation: