Copa America casts its shadow over the Campeonato.
The Serie A turns to midweek games this week as it looks to get another round done before the big continental tournament. In a year that sees the Copa America start at week's end, round seven is slated to take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Although weeks 7 through 11 are scheduled during the tournament itself, many teams will be without some of their top players.
Already Sao Paulo rested Lucas and Casemiro for their match-up last week against Corinthians. Chances are the pair may be absent for the midweek fixtures as well.
Week 7 sees a bunch of intriguing fixtures, many of them brought into added significance with the dramatic readjustments at the top of the table.
Wednesday sees six games on tap in a unique symmetry:
- Two games should see easy home wins - Gremio over Avai and Vasco Da Gama over Cruzeiro.
- Two games should see close away wins - Corinthians at Bahia and Flamengo at America Mineiro
- Two games should see draws featuring Paulista teams who should be stronger than their opponents but will be held to a draw all the same - Santos at Figueirense (the latter are solid at home) and Sao Paulo at home to Botafogo (the latter are on a five game unbeaten streak with three wins in that run).
Santos returns to domestic action after a two week hiatus during which it won the 2011 Copa Libertadores.
Thursday has the four remaining games as, after a two week break, all 10 matches are played in the same week:
Home wins beckon for Palmeiras over At Go and for Coritiba over Ceara. Internacional should beat Atl Mineiro in Belo Horizonte but Fluminense will probably draw Atl Para at home. The defending champions attack is most anaemic with just four goals in six games.
The Copa America kicks off Friday July 1 2011 with Argentina playing Bolivia.
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