**Maracanã hosts a toss-up between two injury-hit sides fighting for breathing room.** Fluminense and Santos both sit in that murky middle zone of the table, and neither can afford a slip-up — but both are missing key personnel.

Fluminense have the home-field advantage and a steadier recent run (beat Coritiba 4-0 last time out), but **Alisson and G. Cano's absences are brutal** for their attacking shape. Santos are limping along without **Arthur and Willian Arão**, yet showed grit with a draw against Flamengo and an away win over São Paulo.

Key storylines:

- **Hulk** and **A. Canobbio** have to carry Fluminense's creative load without their usual striking partners
- **Rony and G. Barbosa** need to threaten at the back of a Fluminense defense stretched by injuries
- The H2H is almost dead even over 46 meetings — no clear edge to either camp

Expected lineups:

- **Fluminense**: Fábio, J. Millán, Ignácio, J. Freytes, Martinelli, Nonato, Hulk, A. Canobbio, R. Castillo, K. Samuel
- **Santos**: Diogenes, G. Escobar, L. Peres, L. Veríssimo, G. Bontempo, C. Oliva, Everton, B. Rollheiser, Rony, G. Barbosa

Prediction:

**1-1 draw.** Both teams are too injury-ravaged to dominate; a coin flip feels right. 🔴