Corinthians vs Juventude Prediction: The Timão needs the three points

With the arrival of coach Ramón Díaz, Corinthians' performance has improved, but two negative results have put the team under pressure again. The Timão is one point above the relegation zone, but the opponents below have games in hand. The Paulistas will need victories, or they'll probably re-enter the Z4.

Corinthians is currently 16th in the standings with 19 points. The team has shown stable play lately, based on solid defense and quick counterattacks. The work of the Argentinian manager is noticeable. The last game Corinthians played was against Grêmio for the Copa do Brazil. A home draw in the first leg was not the best result, but the Paulistas had to play almost the entire second half with ten men, as Raniele received a red card. In the previous league round, the Timão lost away 2-1 to Atlético Mineiro but performed well. The home side had problems creating goal chances and scored the winning goal near the end of the match through a penalty.

The Gaúchos secured a significant 3-2 home win against Fluminense in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil Round of 16. It was Juventude's first victory with Jair Ventura at the helm. The previous coach, Roger Machado, was hired by Internacional after an excellent job at the Caxias do Sul club. The win against the Copa Libertadores holder came after the first home defeat in the league, showing the team's resilience in dealing with negative results. Juventude is 14th with 21 points and has three games in hand. The Ju has yet to win on the road in the Brasileirão, but after beating Fluminense, the team is confident of facing Corinthians.

The teams met this season in April, and Juventude won 2-0 at home. If the Gaúchos repeat the result, it will be their first away win in the league. However, it will be a tough match. Corinthians is only one point above the relegation zone and urgently needs points. The Timão has improved in recent games, showing good defensive organization. Corinthians is the favorite, but I'd rather bet on a game with no more than two goals scored.