Against a direct rival in the fight for a place in the 2018 edition of the Copa Libertadores of America, Atletico-PR bets all their chips this Sunday, November 19. In match for the thirty-sixth round of the Brasileirão 2017, the antepenultimate of the competition, receives the Vasco. The confrontation will be held from 19h (Brasília time) at the Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba.
Atlético-PR’s recent performance
The situation of the Hurricane on this mission is delicate. On Wednesday, November 15, in Campinas, the team was parked in the 45 points (12 wins, nine draws and 14 losses) to be beaten, by 2 to 1, by Ponte Preta, in Campinas.
With three more games to play, he has a chance to reach a maximum of 54 points, which is considered little in the face of predictions made by mathematicians to give him the right to play for the continental tournament next year.
However, three wins are considered essential to keep the dream alive. After all, although the top seven finishers of the Brasileirão are currently awarded the opportunity to participate in the next edition of the main continental tournament, this block can be increased to nine if Grêmio and Flamengo win respectively the current season’s Libertadores and the South American Cup.
The technician Fabiano Soares pointed out the lack of better aim as the main factor so that the team did not achieve good results. With 39 goals scored, Atletico-PR has the third worst offensive production compared to the clubs that are outside the relegation zone of the Brasileirão.
To face Vasco he will not have Chilean midfielder Esteban Pavez. He is suspended by the accumulation of yellow cards. Matheus Rossetto and Eduardo Henrique are the options for the position if the coach wishes to maintain the tactical scheme. There is even the option of climbing an athlete with more offensive characteristics given the extreme need of victory. It would be a surprise, although this is not new since Fabiano Soares took over the club. In 25 matches, he never repeated the formation from one game to another. The rubro-negro has lost three of the last four matches played.
The current form of Vasco
Vasco had the fourth opportunity on Wednesday night, November 15, to put his name in the zone of classification for the Libertadores. As it had happened in the previous three, it failed. In San Januário, they were in the tie for a 1 to 1 against Atletico-MG, despite having played better and emerged in advantage in the scoreboard. Thus, it reached the mark of 50 points (13 victories, 11 ties and 11 defeats), following in the eighth position.
Increased, however, his unbeaten run for 11 games. Although the quantity is good, the quality is not the best. Most of those matches ended in a draw. There were seven equalities.
To try to reach the necessary score in this final stretch, coach Zé Ricardo is still waiting for the recovery of striker Luís Fabiano. He suffered knee surgery, was discharged, returned to training, but still has pain in the area. There has been a change in treatment to try to remedy the situation. However, it is not certain whether the athlete will be available to face Atletico-PR this Sunday.
History of the bouts between Atlético-PR and Vasco
The Basque players won 16 of the 35 games they had against the red-blacks in Brasileirão. The Hurricane has won ten times, including the 1-0 in the first round of the 2017 season. Ties were recorded nine times.
Although coach Fabiano Soares puts the unique and exclusive fault of the campaign below the expectations of the club in lack of aim, the problem is much bigger than this one. The Hurricane has not been able to create dangers of greater danger in great numbers and promotes many exchanges of ball with slowness facilitating the marking of the adversary.
Owner of an efficient defensive system, which has never been leaked twice in the same match since Zé Ricardo took over the command, Vasco has in the desperation of the rival a great opportunity to try to exploit the counterattacks. It is, in this way, the best guessing option for dueling. It has a price of 3.30 in Rivalo. Same prize awarded for equality. Successful homeowners pay 2.20 for 1.
PREDICTION:Vasco win @ 3.30