Santos will look to make it four straight wins across all competitions when they welcome Juventude to the Estadio Urbano Caldeira for their Serie A clash on Sunday.
The visitors have failed to taste victory in their last three outings and will be aiming to end this poor run.
After opening their Serie A campaign with a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bahia, Santos appears to have found their mojo.
A 2-0 first-leg victory over Cianorte in the Copa do Brasil was quickly followed by an impressive 3-1 win over Ceara SC in their second league outing.
Jean Mota, Marinho and Brazilian wonder-kid Kaio Jorge were all on target to give Santos their first league win of the season.
The win saw Santos rise to 12th place in the league standings, two points and four spots ahead of Sunday’s visitors.
Fernando Diniz’s men picked up their third straight win last time out, beating Cianorte 1-0 in the return leg of their Copa do Brasil tie. They have now progressed into the next round following a 3-0 aggregate win.
Meanwhile, Juventude failed to end their winless start to the new campaign as they suffered a 3-0 loss to Atletico Paranaense last time out.
After a goalless first half, Atletico Paranaense upped the ante and scored three second-half goals to pick up their second straight Serie A win.
They followed this loss with a disappointing 2-2 draw with newly promoted Cuiaba, leaving them with one point from the opening two games.
Santos vs Juventude Head-To-Head
Santos are the better side in the history of this fixture, claiming seven wins from 15 games against Juventude. The visitors have picked up three wins, while five games have ended in draws.
Santos Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-L
Juventude Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-L-W-W
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Santos vs Juventude Team News
Santos
Santos will be without the services of Sandry, Lucas Braga, Jobson, Carlos Sanchez, Rafael Longuine and Raniel, who are all sidelined through injuries.
Injured: Sandry, Lucas Braga, Jobson, Carlos Sanchez, Rafael Longuine, Raniel
Suspended: None
Juventude
Barring any late injury concerns, Juventude have a clean bill of health and no suspensions heading into this tie. We expect head coach Marquinhos Santos to name his strongest possible starting lineup on Sunday.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Santos vs Juventude Predicted XI
Santos Predicted XI ( 4-2-3-1): John; Pará, Luiz Felipe, Luan Peres, Felipe Jonatan; Alison, Jean Mota; Marinho Gabriel, Pirani Marcos, Guilherme; Kaio Jorge
Juventude Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Marcelo Carné; Michel Macedo, Vitor Mendes, Rafael Forster, Alyson; João Paulo, Guilherme Castilho; Capixaba, Wescley, Chico; Matheus Peixoto
Santos vs Juventude Prediction
After stumbling into the new campaign, Santos appears to have found their feet in recent weeks. They head into this game in excellent form and we predict they will claim the win as they face a struggling Juventude side.
Prediction: Santos 3-0 Juventude
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