Maranhao desperately need points on Saturday, Aug 22 at 10:00 PM in the Serie C – 1st Stage. With the team sitting in the bottom three, this is quickly becoming a must-win situation.

Maranhao come into this fixture out of form (0W 2L recently). AO Itabaiana, meanwhile, arrive in mixed form (2W 1D 2L) — actually the better-performing side in recent weeks. Maranhao head into this on the back of a defeat, while AO Itabaiana arrive off a win — momentum clearly with the visitors.

Head-to-head records offer little separation — Maranhao and AO Itabaiana have split their 1 meetings almost evenly (1W–0D–0W). Their last encounter ended in AO Itabaiana won 3–4. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 7.0 per game in recent meetings.

Verdict: This looks an evenly matched contest. Home advantage gives Maranhao a slight edge, but AO Itabaiana are capable of causing problems. A draw would be a fair result.