Unbeaten Goias will be looking to extend their lead at the summit of Copa Sudamericana Group G when struggling Gimnasia visit Estadio da Serrinha on Thursday night.

The Brazilian club sit one point clear of second-placed Universitario, while the Argentine outfit find themselves one point adrift of Santa Fe at the foot of the standings.

Match preview

Goias will book their place in the Copa Sudamericana knockout phase if they get the better of Gimnasia on Thursday, having already picked up two wins and two draws ahead of the penultimate round of group games.

Following draws with Santa Fe and Universitario, Goias defeated Gimnasia 2-0 in Argentina before claiming a 1-0 victory over Universitario in Brazil, extending their unbeaten streak in the Sudamericana to four matches.

It is also worth noting that Emerson Avila's men have kept three clean sheets in the Copa Sudamericana this season, meaning that only three teams in the competition boast better defensive records than Goias.

Unfortunately, Goias' domestic campaign is not following the same pattern as their Sudamericana campaign, as the Goiania outfit find themselves in the Brasileiro relegation zone with a record of two wins, one draw and six losses.

Last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Cuiaba means that Goias are also the lowest scorers in the Brazilian top flight, so Avila's men will be eager to forget about their domestic struggles and punch their ticket to the Sudamericana knockouts.

Gimnasia, meanwhile, started their Copa Sudamericana with three successive losses, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Universitario and a 2-1 defeat at Sante Fe before handing Goias a 2-0 victory when they met in La Plata.

However, Sebastian Romero's men gained their revenge over Sante Fe in their previous Sudamericana encounter, claiming a 1-0 victory against the Colombian club thanks to Franco Ramon Torres's 92nd-minute winner.

After claiming their first continental win of the season, Gimnasia played out a goalless draw with Sarmiento before losing 2-0 to Union, leaving the La Plata outfit 19th in the Argentine Primera Division.

As a result, El Lobo head into Thursday's clash on a two-game winless run, and they have also managed to win just one of their last four encounters across all competitions while failing to score on three occasions.

It is also worth pointing out that Gimnasia have failed to score more than one goal in each of their previous eight outings, firing four blanks along the way, so the visitors could struggle to find the back of the net on Thursday.

Team News

Goias manager Emerson Avila will likely continue with a 4-2-3-1 formation, meaning that Willian Oliveira and Ze Ricardo will line up in defensive midfield.

Having bagged one goal and one assist in two Copa Sudamericana appearances, former Bahia winger Vinicius is expected to support lone striker Gabriel Novaes in attack.

Elsewhere, Maguinho and Sander will occupy the full-back roles, while Sidimar and Bruno Melo should resume their partnership at centre-back.

Gimnasia, on the other hand, will be without the suspended Felipe Sanchez on Thursday following the centre-back's red card in last month's 1-0 win over Santa Fe.

Twenty-two-year-old defender Bruno Palazzo is expected to replace Sanchez in the visitors' backline, joining Leonardo Morales, Matias Melluso and Bautista Barros Schelotto.

At the opposite end of the pitch, teenage forward Leandro Mamut will likely partner fellow youngster Ivo Mammini in Gimnasia's forward line.

Goias possible starting lineup:
Tadeu; Maguinho, Sidimar, Melo, Sander; Willian, Ze Ricardo; Diego, Palacios, Vinicius; Novaes

Gimnasia possible starting lineup:
Durso; Schelotto, Morales, Palazzo, Melluso; Soldano, Comba, Bolivar, Ramirez; Mamut, Mammini

We say: Goias 2-0 Gimnasia

Given that Gimnasia have failed to score in three of their previous four matches, we expect Goias to book their place in the Copa Sudamericana knockouts with a comfortable clean-sheet victory on Thursday.

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