Sports Mole previews Thursday's Brasileiro clash between Corinthians and Sao Paulo, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
It is the business end of the Serie A campaign in Brazil, where Corinthians and Sao Paulo FC will battle it out on November 20 at the Neo Quimica Arena.
The Classico Majestoso has always been an entertaining derby, and with both teams aiming for continental football, this one should be another interesting clash.
Match preview
With five games left to play in the Brasileiro season, Corinthians are precariously positioned on the edge of Copa Sudamericana qualification in the standings.
The seven-time Brazilian champions have underperformed in the league in recent years, last finishing at the summit in 2017, but this season has delivered some success in the form of their 31st Paulista crown.
Former Brazilian national team boss Dorival Junior has done a decent job since he hopped into the hot seat in April this year.
The manager has overseen 34 games with the People's Team, winning 15 of them for a win percentage of 44%.
The hosts were recently on a run of three consecutive victories before fellow Sudamericana challengers Bragantino and Ceara halted that string of results with two defeats in a row.
Corinthians must capitalise on home advantage, like they have done in seven of their 16 league matches so far, to secure maximum points and draw level on points with the visitors.
Sao Paulo should go into the derby with confidence, after winning six of the last seven head-to-heads.
Currently ninth in the Brasileiro, three points would go a long way in securing their spot in the Sudamericana and even help them make a try for the Copa Libertadores qualification stage.
After winning the Paulista for five years in a row, the visitors should have fire in their bellies against the side that snatched it away from them.
Hernan Crespo is also relatively new to the head coach role at his club, joining the Club of Faith in June this year.
The former Argentine forward delivered 12 victories in his 27 games in charge, but the concern for him is that he has been defeated 11 times in his tenure.
In just his third game in at the helm, Crespo delivered a 2-0 victory against Corinthians, but that was in the comfort of home.
The visitors have only beaten Timao once across their last 10 away dates, which aligns with Sao Paulo's poor record on their travels this season, where they have only won four of their 16 fixtures (25%), losing seven in that run (44%).
Corinthians Brasileiro form:
L
W
W
W
L
L
Sao Paulo Brasileiro form:
L
L
W
W
D
L
Team News
Head coach Dorival Junior will be without Vitinho (knee), Raniele (hamstring), goalkeeper Hugo Souza (dead leg) and teenager Andre, who is battling an ankle injury.
Rodrigo Garro picked up a caution in his last outing, meaning he will have to serve a one-game suspension after accumulating too many.
On that note, there are no less than seven Corinthians who are at risk of the same sentence, should they pick up a yellow in this fixture, including striker Memphis Depay.
The Dutch forward scored for his nation during the international break and has won the hearts of local fans after foregoing his contractual luxury apartment to assist the club with their financial woes.
Good news for the hosts is that Andre Carrillo is eligible for selection after serving his one-match suspension the last time out.
The biggest news out of Sao Paulo is the heart issue that former Chelsea man Oscar has gone through after undergoing physical testing, meaning he will not be available for selection.
Crespo's infirmary is packed with players nursing injuries, including crucial ones such as Pablo Maia (foot), Marcos Anotnia (hamstring), Rodriguinho (knee), Juan Dinenno (knee), Wendell (heel) and Luan Santos (adductor), to mention a few.
Club top-scorer Luciano will be crucial for the visitors here, since he has netted 15 goals in 52 appearances for Sao Paulo this season, with three goal involvements coming in his last three outings (G2, A1).
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Longo; Matheuzinho, Ramalho, Henrique, Bidu; Maycon, Bidon, Romero, Dieguinho; Alberto, Depay
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Rafael; Franco, Arboleda, Sabinho; Maik, Gustavo, Bobadilla, Moura, Diaz; Ferreira, Luciano
We say: Corinthians 1-1 Sao Paulo
With both sides dealing with important injuries, and some players set to return from their national teams, there could be little time for them to train with the team.
Additionally, five of the last seven head-to-heads at this venue saw the teams share the spoils, not unlikely this time around.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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