Preview: Bragantino vs Coritiba - prediction, team news, lineups

RB Bragantino will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Coritiba to the Cicero de Souza Marques Stadium on Sunday for round 20 of the 2026 Brasileiro.

Massa Bruta will hope to make home advantage count as they look to remain firmly in the hunt for the top positions, while Coritiba are seeking a response after suffering back-to-back defeats.

Match preview

RB Bragantino go into round 20 in fifth place, with 30 points. Their campaign so far has brought nine wins, three draws and seven defeats from 19 matches. The Sao Paulo state side sit in the Copa Libertadores qualification zone and are eyeing a top-four finish in the Brasileirao.

In the previous round, Massa Bruta drew 1-1 away to Fluminense. Before that, they had beaten Internacional 3-1 in Braganca Paulista. The side are unbeaten in five matches across the Brasileirao and the Copa Sul-Americana, with three straight wins followed by two draws.

Bragantino's busy schedule will see them face Sporting Cristal just three days after this match, on July 29, deciding their place in the last 16 of the Copa Sul-Americana — the first leg, in Lima, finished 0-0. As hosts, the team tend to impose themselves with far more consistency than they do away from home, and their attacking style shows in the numbers: they have opened the scoring in seven of their last eight matches.

Under Vagner Mancini, in charge of the squad since October, Bragantino are relying on intensity and organisation. The Cicero de Souza Marques Stadium, the club's temporary home while the Nabi Abi Chedid Stadium is being rebuilt, tends to work in the hosts' favour. The need to split their focus between two competitions in the same week, however, will require careful physical and emotional management of the squad.

Coritiba, meanwhile, sit tenth, with 26 points. The Coxa want to move back up towards the top of the table, but they are going through an unstable spell: they have lost their last two matches — 3-0 to Flamengo at the end of May, before the break for the World Cup, and 1-3 to Palmeiras on their return to action in the last round.

The alviverde attack has been inconsistent throughout the season and is still searching for regularity. The defence, in turn, has conceded more goals than in the previous campaign (27 in 19 matches), when the defensive system was the team's main strength (23 goals conceded in the whole of the Series B campaign). This imbalance between the two areas of the pitch helps explain Coxa's inconsistency in 2026.

Coach Fernando Seabra is in charge of a Coritiba side that won promotion as 2025 Series B champions — a title won under Mozart, whom Seabra replaced at the end of the year. This is the third Series A club the coach has managed, following spells at Cruzeiro and at Bragantino itself, who sacked him in October.

Fernando Seabra's task is to keep Coritiba's momentum going on their return to the top flight and to establish the side in the national top division. A good result away from home against RB Bragantino could further strengthen the coach's work at this early stage of the Brasileirao.

Bragantino Brasileiro form:

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Bragantino form (all competitions):

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Coritiba Brasileiro form:

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Coritiba form (all competitions):

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Team News

RB Bragantino could have an important boost for the meeting with Coritiba. Having represented Paraguay at the World Cup, Isidro Pitta is available again and stands a good chance of starting the match.

Massa Bruta will also be without two important players for the match. Sent off in the draw with Fluminense, midfielder Fabinho and right-back Agustin Sant'Anna are both suspended. On the plus side, left-back Juninho Capixaba is available again after serving a suspension for the accumulation of yellow cards.

Coritiba arrive with a more positive outlook in terms of their squad. Fernando Seabra has Pedro Rocha available again after he served his suspension, and has also welcomed back players such as Maicon, Tinga, Keno and goalkeeper Pedro Morisco, giving the side more options.

On the other hand, Coritiba remain without one confirmed absentee. Sebastian Gomez remains out as he continues to follow concussion protocol, while Rodrigo Rodrigues has been named in the squad for the first time since his serious knee injury and could be a new option for Fernando Seabra.

Bragantino possible starting lineup:

Tiago Volpi; Andres Hurtado, Alix Vinicius, Gustavo Marques, Juninho Capixaba; Rodriguinho, Ramires; Herrera, Lucas Barbosa, Fernando; Eduardo Sasha. Coach: Vagner Mancini.

Coritiba possible starting lineup:

Pedro Rangel; Tinga, Tiago Coser, Jacy, Bruno Melo; Thiago Santos, Vini Paulista; Lavega, Josue, Breno Lopes; Pedro Rocha. Coach: Fernando Seabra.

We say: Bragantino 3-1 Coritiba

Bragantino head into the contest in better form and have generally been a tough proposition on home soil, while Coritiba arrive looking to halt a run of two successive league defeats.

Massa Bruta should have enough attacking quality to secure all three points, although Coritiba are capable of finding the net, and we expect the hosts to ultimately run out comfortable winners.

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