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Santos will host Athletico Paranaense at Estadio Vila Belmiro in the second leg of their Copa do Brasil quarterfinal tie on Wednesday.
The home side come into the game on the back of a goalless draw with Bahia in the Brasileiro Serie A on Sunday.
Athletico Paranaense suffered a 2-0 defeat away to America MG on Saturday. Felipe Azevedo and Kal Lucas scored second-half goals to hand the hosts all three points.
A place in the semifinal of the competition awaits the winner of this tie. Santos have their work cut out as they currently have a one-goal deficit, having lost the first leg 1-0 three weeks ago. Renato de Souza's first-half goal proved to be the difference on that occasion.
Santos vs Athletico Paranaense Head-to-Head
Santos have 21 wins from their last 42 games against Athletic PR. Eight previous matches ended in a share of the spoils while Athletico were victorious on 13 occasions.
Their most recent meeting came in their first leg meeting last week when De Souza's goal gave Paranaense a 1-0 victory on home turf.
The two sides are currently on a poor run of form, with the hosts having gone seven games without a win.
Athletico Paranaense's first leg victory was their sole win in their last seven matches across all competitions.
Santos form guide (all competitions): D-L-L-L-D
Athletico Paranaense form guide (all competitions): L-L-D-D-L
Santos vs Athletico Paranaense Team News
Santos
The hosts have been decimated by injuries and currently have seven players sidelined with fitness issues.
Madson (discomfort), Luiz Felipe (thigh), Kaiky Melo (thigh), John (meniscus), Kevin Malthus (ACL), Sandry (ACL) and Jobson (ACL) will all miss the game through injuries.
Injuries: Madson, Luiz Felipe, Kaiky Melo, John, Kevin Malthus, Sandry, Jobson
Suspension: None
Athletico Paranaense
Matheus Babi and Lucas Halter have both been ruled out for the rest of the season with ACL and foot injuries respectively.
Furthermore, midfielder Leo Cittadini is currently in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
Injuries: Matheus Babi, Lucas Halter
Suspension: None
COVID-19: Leo Cittadini
Santos vs Athletico Paranaense Predicted XI
Santos Predicted XI (4-3-3): Joao Paulo (GK); Rocha Andrade, Wagner Leonardo, Robson Reis, Para; Gabriel Pirani, Guilherme Camacho, Carlos Sanchez; Marcos Guilherme, Leo Baptistao, Braga Ribeiro
Athletico Paranaense Predicted XI (4-4-2): Santos (GK); Abner, Thiago Heleno, Pedro Henrique, Marcinho; Rocha Neves, Christian, Richard, Erick; Guilherme Campos, David Terans
Santos vs Athletico Paranaense Prediction
The two sides have been in poor form and this could translate into a low-scoring game of few chances.
Santos are in more desperate need of victory, but Athletico Paranaense could curtail the threat posed by the hosts. We are predicting a share of the spoils with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Santos 1-1 Athletico Paranaense
