Fla v São Paulo: title hopefuls meet inconsistent visitors | OneFootball

Flamengo host São Paulo in the Brasileirão at the Maracanã on Sunday, with the hosts chasing the leaders and the visitors aiming to steady after back-to-back league defeats.

Flamengo sit second and recent meetings have been shared, though January's league opener finished 2-1 to São Paulo. The rivalry tends to be tight, with both sides taking wins in the past two seasons.

Form points to momentum for Fla, who have won four of their last five, including a 4-0 away victory at Chapecoense. Tricolor Paulista have one win in five and two straight league losses, leaving them mid-table.

Availability could bite the hosts: Jorge Andrés Carrascal Guado is suspended, while Luiz Araújo, Lucas Paquetá, Léo Ortiz and Daniel Sales are injured. For the visitors, Lucas Moura is out injured.

Mengão have the league's leading scorer Pedro on 12 goals and Samuel Lino among the top assisters with seven. Season-wide, they have scored 35 and conceded 16, with eight clean sheets, 55% possession and 88.06% pass accuracy. Tricolor Paulista lean on wide service, 265 open-play crosses at 16.60% accuracy and six headed goals, with Jonathan Calleri and Luciano both on six. Fla could look to feed Pedro early, while the visitors may target deliveries into the box.

A win would strengthen Fla's title push and keep them firmly in the Copa Libertadores spots. From 12th, Soberano could climb and move closer to the Sudamericana places with a positive result. Another setback may leave them stuck in mid-table.