Seeking a fifth straight win in all competitions, South American champions Flamengo visit mid-table Bragantino on Thursday.

While the Rio giants moved up to third in the Serie A table by beating Gremio last time out, Braga have taken just a point from their last two matches in the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Match preview

Continuing their surge up the standings, Flamengo recorded a second successive three-goal win in the Brasileiro by crushing fellow top-six contenders Gremio 3-0 at home in Rio de Janeiro.

Victory at the Maracana saw the Rubro-Negro leapfrog their opponents in the table, and sitting third after 10 rounds, they are only five points adrift of pacesetters Botafogo.

Now on a four-game winning run in the league, and having built a 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, Flamengo have also recovered from a slow start to their defence of the Copa Libertadores, which they won for a third time last year.

Jorge Sampaoli's side look set to safely navigate the group stage, after a 2-1 win over Argentina's Racing Club left them needing just to avoid defeat against Ecuadorian outsiders Aucas on the final matchday at the end of this month.

That would ensure progress to the knockout stages of South America's premier club competition, but Brasileiro success is Sampaoli's more immediate priority when his team travel to Sao Paulo.

By contrast with their more illustrious visitors, Bragantino were only promoted to the elite level of Brazilian football in 2019, but they have gone on to qualify for continental football in each season since.

Last year's 14th-placed finish represented their lowest so far, though, and they now sit 12th in the early stages of their 2023 campaign.

The Sao Paulo side held 2021 double winners Atletico Mineiro to a 1-1 draw last weekend, when Eduardo Sasha's 35th-minute strike helped his team take a point home from Belo Horizonte and kept them in the final Copa Sudamericana qualifying spot.

In this year's competition, Braga drew away at Estudiantes in their most recent continental contest, and having picked up 11 points from five group games to date, victory in their final fixture would ensure they top Group C. First, though, edging towards the top half of the Serie A standings is on the agenda.

After going down to 10 men at the start of their last meeting with Flamengo, before ultimately being beaten 4-1, coach Pedro Caixinha will now aim for a totally different outcome at Nabizao, where his team have won three of five league matches this year and have lost only once.

Team News

Ahead of the trip to Braganca Paulista, Flamengo coach Jorge Sampaoli will eagerly await the results of medical checks on star striker Gabriel Barbosa, who has been struggling with a thigh problem and is a doubt for Thursday's game.

In addition, Brazil duo Ayrton Lucas and Pedro, and Chile pair Erick Pulgar and Arturo Vidal, are due to return from international duty shortly before the match and must be assessed.

One man certainly missing for the visitors is centre-forward Marinho, who has moved to Fortaleza after having his contract terminated due to misconduct.

Bragantino, meanwhile, will have Matheus Fernandes available again after sitting out the draw with Atletico Mineiro through suspension; however, goalkeeper Cleiton received a third yellow card of the season last time out and must now serve a one-match ban - Lucao is the latter's likely replacement.

The hosts' injury list stubbornly refuses to shorten, as Helinho (knee), Bruninho (thigh), Leo Ortiz (knee), Luan Candido (tibia), Natan (knee) and Talisson (ankle) are among those still sidelined.

Following his equaliser at Mineirao, Eduardo Sasha should start up front. The 31-year-old is Braga's joint-top league scorer on four goals this term, alongside Thiago Borbas, who made his Uruguay debut earlier this week and will not feature for his club as Marcelo Bielsa has indicated he should start for La Celeste against Cuba.

Bragantino possible starting lineup:
Lucao; Hurtado, Realpe, Patrick, Capixaba; Evangelista, Fernandes, Ramires; Mosquera, Sasha, Vitinho

Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Cunha; Franca, Luiz, Bruno, Luis; Maia, Franca; Gerson, Everton; De Arrascaeta, Pedro

We say: Bragantino 1-2 Flamengo

Flamengo have averaged over two goals per game on the road this season, so should expect to score at least once at Nabizao. The Rio-based heavyweights are certainly approaching peak condition, so absence-hit Bragantino could see their winless run roll on.


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