Packed for having won two wins followed for the first time in the Brazilian Championship 2017 edition, Fluminense faces this Sunday, October 22, their ‘green wing’. At the Condá Arena in Chapecó, he faces Chapecoense, whom he has never been able to defeat since the Santa Catarina ascended to Serie A. Valuing for the thirtieth round of the competition, the match starts at 19h (Brasília time).
Chapecoense’s recent performance
In the debut of the coach Gilson Kleina, although the new commander did not stay in the reserve bench, the alviverde from Santa Catarina got an excellent result. Against Atletico-MG, in Belo Horizonte, they were at a disadvantage on the scoreboard, but they managed to turn and won by 3-2.
With three points earned, Chape managed to win four places on the leaderboard. He reached 12th place with 35 points (10 wins, 5 draws and 14 losses). It has not yet removed the threat of sticking, but was much closer than guaranteeing its permanence in the elite division of national football. Analysts point out that with 45 points the likelihood of a fall is virtually eliminated.
Kleina will lead the team for the first time on the bench. Emerson Cris, who went from technical assistant to interim coach after Vinícius Eutrópio’s resignation, returns to the old post. The lack of time for training should cause the new commander not to promote many changes in the team. Only after the match against Fluminense will he have a free week to start implementing the changes he wants.
The current form of Fluminense
Divided between the Brasileirão and the South American Cup, Fluminense may not use the best team available for the match. The Ecuadorian midfielder Sornoza, who is considered one of the responsible for the recent rise in production of the tricolor, can be spared by coach Abel Braga. He left the field with a pain in the victory, by 3 to 1, on Wednesday, against São Paulo, in Maracanã.
It was the first time that the tricolor in Rio de Janeiro won two consecutive rounds of the 2017 edition of the Brazilian Championship. Before, also in the Maracanã, had beaten the Avaí by 1 to 0. This took the team to 38 points (nine victories, 11 ties and nine defeats). Opened round 30 in eleventh position.
Since he does not have big ambitions in the tournament, other than avoiding the fall to the Second Division and that possibility has been significantly reduced, the team can shift its focus to the competition that considers more important at the end of the season. On Wednesday, October 24, will face Flamengo in opening the duel that vows vague in the semifinal of the South American Cup.
This may cause Abel to set aside other players who experience a greater physical wear and tear. This, however, depends on an evaluation of the physiology department. The coach, however, is not adept at making many changes from one game to another. So even if you listen to the advice to take out one or another athlete, you should keep the base that has been working.
Maybe he can use the game to reintegrate defender Henrique to the team. The athlete, who was the absolute owner and captain of the team, suffered a muscle injury and has been away for about a month. The duel in Chapecó could be a test to verify his physical conditioning since the tendency is that he is related as a starter against Flamengo.
That’s because Gum, who is replacing him, was not registered in the South American Cup. Fluminense still has time to change the list of registered players, but can only make a change. Richard, who was also not in the starting lineup, is likely to be included as he has been consistently performing since taking a spot in the starting lineup.
History of the bouts between Chapecoense and Fluminense
Fluminense never managed to defeat Chapecoense at Brasileirão. In seven matches, they were five losses and two draws, including the 3 to 3 that was registered in the first round of the season 2017.
PREDICTION: Chapecoense win @ 2.05