Corinthians vs Avai FC: A Solid Encounter to Be Witnessed

The Brazilian Serie A is finally set to start in full flow with this weekend providing for the second round of matches, and with that, this exciting fixture in which Corinthians will look to make a statement of trying to better their last year’s Serie A finish and compete for the title after not winning it for the past four years. In the ten matches they have played against each other, Corinthians has won 5, Avai FC has won 2, and the rest three are drawn. Avai FC will probably look to hold on to whatever they can against Corinthians. They will look to avoid a relegation scrap and carry their momentum into their next two matches, in which they will look to come out with maximum points given the stature of the opposition. Corinthians are currently 3rd with a win in their opening match against Botafogo (3-1), while Avai FC is 6th and won their first match against America MG (1-0) thanks to a 52-minute Raniele winner. 

With brilliant performances from both Willian and Paulinho contributing to the goals scored in their win against Botafogo, one should expect them to become stalwarts of this Corinthians team, which should aim high both in the Brazilian Serie A and the CONMEBOL Libertadores. So far, they are ranked second for big chances created and should look to continue that momentum in the match against Avai FC. They will also look to eradicate the mistakes at the back with already conceding a penalty in their one match played. They finished runners-up in the Paulista A1 cup and should look to build on that to have a strong season ahead.

• Willian;
• Paulinho;
• Guedes;
• Piton.

We should expect to see Avai FC under tremendous pressure given the attacking threat that Corinthians possess, and the Avai FC should be expected to be regularly tested. If they are to take something away from the game, their defense will be the backbone to helping them win. It also helps that they had kept a clean sheet in their opening match after snatching a (1-0) win against Atletico MG, a match which many feel Atletico MG should have won with the number of chances they had created. They also have an average possession of 58%, which will help them control the matchup's tempo.

• Raniele;
• Morato;
• Kevin;
• Friedich.

Corinthians are expected to come out of this as the eventual winner, but we might see Avai FC give them trouble; we should anticipate a scoreline that will favor Corinthians in getting the win at their home ground with the support of their fans.

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