Preview: Sao Paulo vs. Ceara - prediction, team news, lineups

Sao Paulo will be back in action on Thursday when they welcome Ceara to the Cicero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium as they attempt to get back to winning ways after five consecutive draws.

The visitors sit just one point below them in the Serie A league table and have failed to win in their previous two outings.

Match preview

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Sao Paulo will be desperate to get three points on Thursday after drawing five games in a row, showcasing their consistency to gain points, but their lack of cutting edge to truly finish an opponent off.

Hernan Crespo's team are undefeated in six games, with a victory against Atletico Goianiense in September kickstarting this run, but with so many matches resulting in the points being split, the club finds themselves 13th in the league.

Goals have been hard to come by in this recent period for Sao Paulo, having failed to score in three of their previous five fixtures, including their most recent outing against Cuiaba.

They dominated the match with 66% of the possession, but Crespo's men were unable to convert all of that ball retention into a goal, and they only mustered two shots on target.

Because they are just seven points away from a place in the top six, there is still a lot to fight for in this campaign, with a place in either the Copa Sudamericana or Copa Libertadores still being possible for them.

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However, Sao Paulo must be wary of the fact the visitors sit just one place behind them in the league table and a victory would allow Ceara to leapfrog them.

They are also not in the strongest form, having gone two games without a win after drawing with Internacional and then being comfortably beaten by Atletico Mineiro.

They faced the current table-toppers on Saturday and they were blown away by a first-half brace from Hulk, with a second-half goal courtesy of Diego Costa putting the game to bed, despite a late finish from Gabriel Lacerda.

When these two teams faced each other earlier in the season, the spoils were shared as they battled out a 1-1 draw, despite Ceara taking the lead in the first half via Jorginho, as an own goal would bring Sao Paulo back into the game.

A point each would not be the worst possible result for either club at the moment - however, if they stand any chance of progressing up the table, the two teams will need a lot more.

Team News

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Crespo will be looking for more from his attacking options in this fixture, with his team struggling to find the back of the net as of late, which could see him make a few changes.

The likes of Joao Rojas and Martin Benitez could be used from the start after being brought off the bench against Cuiaba, while Jonathan Calleri will likely lead the attack.

Both William Klaus (muscle) and Buiu (knee) had to miss the recent defeat against Atletico Mineiro, and the same back four will likely be named in midweek for the visitors.

Vitor Jacare also remains unavailable due to a cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out for the entire season so far, but Ceara might switch things up in the attack, with Stiven Mendoza being an option.

Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Volpi; Gomes, Miranda, Leo, Welington; Santos, Nestor; Benitez, Luciano, Rigoni; Calleri

Ceara possible starting lineup:
Richard; Oliveira, Messias, Otavio, Pacheco; Souza, Sobral; Lima, Vinicius, Sousa; Mendoza

We say: Sao Paulo 1-1 Ceara

The result was 1-1 when they last met and it could easily end up being the same again on Thursday, with neither team bringing much confidence into this fixture.

The lack of clinical and cutting edge in each side is something that has hurt them as of late, and it could also stop either truly going for the three points in this fixture as well.