Corinthians' mediocre start set to continue
The 12th round of the 2021 Brasileirão Série A season kicks off at the weekend, with Corinthians still looking to really get their campaign going, having only won three and scored eight in the first 11 gameweeks. Having drawn another blank in the defeat on Monday to Fortaleza, they now face an Atlético Mineiro outfit on a high from their 0-0 draw against Argentinian giants Boca Juniors in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores. Read our preview here:
Vital signs
Having missed on qualification in the latter phases of the Copa Sudamericana to Uruguayan powerhouses Peñarol, their domestic season has been arguably even worse. Timo de Povo have been far too reliant on former Manchester City striker Jô, now 34, to produce the goods, and he has amassed half of their extremely meagre total. Much more is required from the attacking midfielders behind him in the 4-2-3-1 shape, and though Mateus Vital has played well on the left flank, he has yet to have any discernible impact in the final third of the pitch, neither assisting any teammates, nor getting on the end of the scant chances himself.
Jair-man of the board
Their opponents will have six individuals out of the reckoning for the clash at the Neo Química Arena; left-back Guilherme Arana has joined up with the national team squad for the delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo, and goalscoring veteran midfielder Ignacio Fernández remains out injured. Nevertheless, Jair as the single pivot at the base of the trio in the middle of the park will seek to dictate the tempo, and moreover, any counter attacks they're able to muster, and left-back Dodô has the stamina and vision to bomb forwards on his wing to make it more difficult to cut off their avenues of approaching the Corinthians' third.
Here comes the Galo
There's a massive danger of another disappointing year becoming the reality for one of the most widely supported teams in the world. bet365 have odds of 3.25 for the stronger looking visitors to put pressure on head coach Sylvinho with an away win, just months into his post.
