Football Bet of the Day: Athletico-PR to strengthen top-13 claims with clean sheet in Curitiba

The Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, Brazilian football's premier club division, enters its final few weeks of the 2024 season, and the action really starts to ramp up in midweek with nine games taking place across Wednesday and Thursday (UK time).

One of those matches, Athletico Paranaense vs Atletico Goianiense, features as my Football Bet of the Day for Wednesday, November 20, which you can check out down below.

Athletico Paranaense vs Atletico Goianiense Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Athletico Paranaense vs Atletico Goianiense page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Heading into Wednesday's game (19:30), 11 points separate 14th-placed Athletico-PR and bottom-club Atletico GO in the 20-team Serie A table. For the former, a top-13 finish, which would grant entry to the 2025 Copa Sudamericana group stage, is a distinct possibility, with Vitoria just a point better off in 13th.

However, Lucho Gonzalez's side are also looking nervously over their shoulders at the prospect of relegation as they, alongside Fluminense (15th), Criciuma (16th) and Juventude (17th), are all on 37 points heading into round 34 this week. Bragantino are just a point further behind in 18th, and with the bottom-four clubs going down to Serie B, the final two relegation spots are still up for grabs.

Cuiaba appear destined for the drop as they are currently in 19th on 29 points, while even five wins from their last five games are unlikely to be enough for Atletico GO to prevent an instant return to the second tier. The Goiania club are actually unbeaten in November having followed up a 1-0 victory over Atletico Mineiro on November 7 with a goalless draw at home to Bragantino two days later, but one win in seven games across September and October looks to have done irreparable damage to their survival bid.

Their away record is particularly brutal, with only Juventude (eight) having picked up fewer points on their travels than Atletico GO, who have lost their last 11 away from the Estadio Antonio Accioly; in fact, they've not won any of the last 13 on the road, last tasting success at Fluminense (1-2) on June 16. Atletico-GO have found it difficult to even score away from home, blanking in half (eight) of their 16 matches.

Wednesday's hosts, meanwhile, possess one of the worst home records in the division - only Cuiaba (14) and Atletico GO (17) have picked up fewer points on their own patch than Athletico-PR (21). However, they've won three of their last five home games in all competitions, including two of their last three in Serie A, the most recent of which was Saturday's 1-0 victory over Atletico Mineiro.

Football Odds

Athletico-PR's last three wins at the Ligga Arena have all been to nil, starting with a Copa Sudamericana success over Argentine side Racing Club (1-0) on September 20 before a 3-0 stroll against Cruzeiro on October 26.

They're not prolific scorers at home with only Fluminense (17), Atletico GO and Cuiaba (both 13) netting fewer goals than their tally of 20 (level with Criciuma, Vitoria and Bragantino), but they're pretty resolute at the other end with seven clubs shipping more strikes than their tally of 17 from 16 games.

Uruguayan striker Gonzalo Mastriani (knee) and Brazilian forward Pablo (suspended) will miss Wednesday's match while Mastriani's countryman Agustin Canobbio is a doubt after missing his side's last five matches due to injury, but there are still reasons for Athletico-PR to be optimistic.

They beat Atletico-MG last weekend with both Uruguyans out and even though Pablo's ban further depletes them in attacking areas, just a single goal will likely be enough for them to claim all three points in Curitiba.

Atletico GO's away record is truly dreadful, particularly since the start of July, and there's very little for them to play for now that they are stick-ons for relegation.

It may not be pretty, but I fancy the Rubro-Negro to win and keep a clean sheet on Wednesday, so my Football Bet of the Day for Wednesday, November 20 is Athletico-PR to win to nil at 7/5.

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