Can Atletico GO Continue Their Push from the Bottom of the Table?
There is a full quota of Brazilian Serie A fixtures this week and on Wednesday evening Atletico PR welcome Atletico GO to the Estadio Joaquim Americo Guimaraes.
The hosts, Atletico PR, start this match 6 points off the Copa Libertadores qualifying positions, having won 34 points from their twenty-six games played. They are in 8th place, with 6th place Botafogo currently holding the final qualifying spot.
Atletico PR last won Serie A back in 2001 and while the championship title is going to be out of reach this season, they could make a return to the Copa Libertadores.
However, if they are to climb into the top six places, Atletico PR must improve on their recent form which shows they have won only one of their last six Serie A games. The solitary victory in their last six games came at home against Fluminense and was a 3-1 win.
Trends show Atletico PR have been struggling to score goals and have failed to find the back of the net in four of their last six league games. They have also been struggling in the first half of matches and Atletico PR have lost at half-time in their last five Serie A games, including their last three at home.
It’s clear Atletico PR need to work on the way they start matches to give themselves any chance of winning.
The one positive for Atletico PR is generally, their recent home form is good and they have won three and drawn one of their last five home league games.
Atletico GO won the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B in 2016 and will be hoping to avoid dropping straight back down to the second tier of Brazilian football.
They come into this match sitting bottom of the table having picked up 25 points from their 26 games, at an average of less than 1 point per match. Conceding goals has been a problem for Atletico GO and they have the worse defensive record in Serie A having allowed 40 goals.
In addition, only Avai have scored less goals than Atletico Go, so it’s clear they have been suffering problems at both ends of the pitch.
However, having struggled for much of the season, they have finally come into a bit of form which has seen them lose only one of their last five Serie A games. In those five games there have been three good away wins, including a shock 1-0 victory at the home of the current league leaders, Corinthians.
Atletico GO have scored in six of their last seven league games and with Atletico PR struggling for clean sheets recently, they are unlikely to keep one in this game.
Atletico PR have been slow to get going in recent games and that could see them level at the interval before producing a better performance and taking maximum points come the final whistle, with both teams scoring.
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