Taking advantage of the holiday of the Proclamation of the Republic this Wednesday, November 15, Ponte Preta scheduled its match against Atletico-PR to increase its audience presence at the Moisés Lucarelli stadium in Campinas. The clash opens the thirty-fifth round of the Brazilian Championship in its 2017 season.
The recent performance of Ponte Preta
The Macaca is in a very delicate situation in the tournament. On Sunday, November 12, for the day of number 34, he even went ahead in the duel against Coritiba in Curitiba, but ended up yielding the tie and had to settle for equality by 1 to 1. Thus, remained in the zone of relegation.
With 36 points (nine wins, nine draws and 16 losses), Ponte Preta is the eighteenth place in the Brasileirao. You need to gain two positions to make this position uncomfortable. The Sport, which is in seventeenth, with the same score, but advantage in the balance of goals, and Vitória, sixteenth, with 39 points, are the closest targets.
Even in front of this scenario, coach Eduardo Baptista, who is averse to advancing the team’s lineup, said he will keep for the duel of Wednesday the same team that played in the capital of Parana. It was the form he found to reward the fighting spirit shown by his athletes, though that was not enough to put three more points in the account.
That means two athletes considered absolute holders will be left out. The first one is midfielder Fernando Bob. He can not act in front of the Thigh due to suspension. Received a red card in the home defeat for Grêmio by 1-0. It is released, but should only be related to the reserve bench.
The second to be affected by this decision of the coach is veteran striker Emerson Sheik, who with muscle pain was not related to the duel in Curitiba. He was doubtful for the game this Wednesday. However, even if you recover and receive the green light from the medical department, it will not be used among the headlines.
Thus, the alvinegro must work with Aranha, Nino Paraíba, Yago, Rodrigo and Jeferson; Naldo; Lucca, Elton, Danilo and Léo Artur; and Léo Gamalho to try to improve their situation. Although it has a home campaign above its average, the Bridge did not go well in the most recent games in the ‘Majestic’. In the last four games in his stadium, he scored only four of the 12 possible points.
The current form of Atlético-PR
After two defeats and a draw, Atletico-PR managed to stop in the thirty-fourth round the sequence of bad results by beating Botafogo 1-0 at Engenhão. That made the team reach 45 points (12 wins, nine draws and 13 losses), a number that is considered sufficient to end any threat of relegation.
Now the rubro-negro’s attempt is to set a sequence of good results that will lead him to the 2018 Copa Libertadores Cup. At the moment, this right is reserved for the top seven in the Brasileirao. This block is closed by Flamengo, which has 50 points.
However, there is a possibility that the number of seats through the tournament will be increased if Grêmio and Flamengo win respectively the 2017 titles of the Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. Thus, the block of classification for the most important tournament of clubs of the continent would be extended until the ninth place. The position at the end of day 34 was d Bahia, with just one point more than Atletico-PR.
Adepto to promote constant changes in the squad, coach Fabiano Soares did not advance the squad for the duel in Campinas, but showed satisfaction with the performance in Rio de Janeiro, which should make it maintain the same base of the lineup.
History of the bouts between Ponte Preta and Atlético-PR
In 25 matches at the Brasileirão, Atletico-PR won 13. The Macaca did better on eight occasions and the draws were only four. In the first round of 2017, the alvinegros scored 2-0 at the rival’s home.
Although the result in Rio de Janeiro was important, it was not a consequence of a great match of the Hurricane. The team found its goal on a failure of goalkeeper Gatito Fernandez, from Botafogo, and then tried to manage the advantage. Against a desperate Black Bridge, you’ll probably need to show top-quality football to ensure another victory. This has not been frequent. Therefore, the hunch at home owners is the best option for grief. It has a price of 2.00 in Bet365. Draw returns 3.30 and successful visitor pays 3.75 per real invested.
PICKS: Ponte Preta win @ 2.00
