Expect Cuiabá to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1, with the double pivot shielding a back four that has been the stingiest in the competition. They allow just 10.1 shots per game — the lowest in Serie B. That is not an accident. They sit in a mid-block, force you wide, and then spring through the half-spaces. The full-backs push on, the number ten drifts between the lines, and the striker feeds off scraps. At home, they will take the initiative, but they will not throw bodies forward recklessly. They know Operário can hurt you if you give them space to run into.

Operário, in their 4-3-3, will likely try to stay compact and hit on the break. The three-man midfield gives them numbers in the centre, but it can leave the wide areas exposed, especially if Cuiabá's full-backs get forward. The Fantasma's away form suggests they will not sit in a deep low block for 90 minutes — they have scored 13 on the road, so they will look for moments to break. But with three losses in a row, their confidence in possession will be shaky. The key battle will be in midfield: Cuiabá's double pivot against Operário's three. If the home side can win that dogfight, they control the tempo and the game.