Juventude will host Sao Paulo at the Arena BRB Mane Garrincha in the Brazilian Serie A on Sunday.
The Verdao aim to end their seven-match winless run against Sao Paulo in all competitions, which dates back to August 2016. Tricolor Paulista has won four games, including a 2-1 victory at Estadio Alfredo Jaconi in the sides' most recent meeting (October 2022).
The club from Caxias do Sul-thesecond largest city in Rio Grande do Sul-was forced to move to a different home ground following the severe floods that hit the Brazilian state at the end of April. That's why Juventude currently hosts its matches at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in Brasilia, the federal capital of Brazil.
Having secured promotion back to Serie A last season (by finishing second in Serie B), Juventude is performing commendably. They are five points clear of the drop zone and occupy the final Copa Sudamericana qualification spot.
After a fourth-round Copa do Brasil 3-2 aggregate victory over Internacional, Verdao held Atletico MG to a 1-1 draw in midweek, thus extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to four games (2-2-0).
Their unbeaten home form in the Brasileirao this season (5-3-0) remains intact, with their last home defeat dating back to the beginning of March in the Campeonato Gaucho.
However, Juventude will have a new manager after Roger Machado unexpectedly resigned to join SC Internacional. Jair Ventura, the ex-Atletico-GO head coach, already led Juventude between October 2021 and February 2022.
Verdao was one of the strongest home sides under Roger Machado. Unbeaten in eight home games (though many of them were away from their Estadio Alfredo Jaconi), Juventude is one of the three top-flight sides that have yet to lose a home match this season.
Juventude will be missing several key players for this match, including Ze Marcos, Danilo Boza, and Marcelinho, all sidelined until next month due to injuries. Edson Carioca faces an extended absence with a knee injury, while goalkeeper Gabriel, who missed the last game with a thigh strain, remains doubtful.
Playmaker Jean Carlos scored his fourth campaign goal to seal the draw against Atletico Mineiro and should play a pivotal role against Sao Paulo in Jair Ventura's debut.
Sao Paulo have built on their Copa do Brasil triumph last season, having won the Supercopa do Brasil earlier this year - after a penalty shootout victory over Palmeiras.
Luis Zubeldia's men sit fourth in the Brasileirao table, level on 30 points with Bahia in fifth. They held onto a narrow lead from a Lucas Moura goal against Gremio in midweek, securing their fifth victory in their last six league games, with their only recent setback being a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Atletico Mineiro last week.
Tricolor Paulista are now bidding to drastically improve their league record (finishing 11th last season). With 30 points (nine wins, three draws, and five losses) after 17 top-flight games, Luis Zubeldia's side are nine behind current leaders Botafogo RJ (following their narrow win over SC International yesterday), and a victory this weekend could see them restoring the distance between them and defending champions Palmeiras to three points only.
To strengthen their position and bolster any potential title aspirations, Sao Paulo must improve their away form. They have won just one of their last five on the road and collected only 11 out of a possible 24 points away from Morumbi this season.
Meanwhile, Luis Zubeldia's side are waiting for the Copa Libertadores round of 16 tie with Uruguayan side Club Nacional next month.
Igor Vinícius, who received a second yellow card in stoppage time against Gremio, will join left-back Welington and center-back Alan Franco in serving suspensions for this match.
Elsewhere, experienced midfielder Alisson, who sustained a broken ankle on Thursday, joins fellow midfielder Pablo Maia on the long-term absentee list. However, veteran Luiz Gustavo has served his suspension and is expected to rejoin the matchday squad against Juventude.
Despite Sao Paulo's recent performances, Juventude have been very solid at home. While the visitors may be the favorites to end Juventude's unbeaten home form, the symbolic hosts should take advantage of the number of missing first-team players for Sao Paulo and are likely to score at least once by the final whistle.
