Preview: Fluminense vs Remo - prediction, team news, lineups

Fluminense will be looking to build on their recent resurgence when they welcome Remo to the Maracana for matchday 24 of the 2026 Brasileiro on Saturday.

Flu head into the contest full of confidence after beating Independiente Rivadavia on penalties in the Copa Libertadores before securing a 3-2 victory over Palmeiras, with both results coming under interim coach Marcao, while Remo are without a win in their last five matches and sit 18th in the table, inside the relegation zone.

Match preview

Fluminense's 1-1 draw with Independiente Rivadavia was another chapter in the Tricolor's dramatic season. Kevin Serna put them ahead in the second half, but Alex Arce equalised in stoppage time, sending the tie to penalties.

Without Hulk, Savarino and Ganso available to take spot-kicks, Flu faced the moment they had feared most: they had not won a shootout since 2024, against Gremio in the last 16 of the Libertadores. Since then, they had lost on penalties to Vasco in the 2025 Copa do Brasil semi-final and to Flamengo in the Carioca final.

This time, the script changed. The shootout finished 5-4, with Flu converting five spot-kicks and missing one, while Rivadavia missed two. The result sent Fluminense through to the Libertadores quarter-finals, where they will face Estudiantes.

Coming through the shootout, combined with the 3-2 win over Palmeiras in the Brasileirao (goals from Hulk, Kevin Serna and German Cano), has brought confidence to a side that had been living off draws: six in their previous nine matches before those two results.

The man behind these results is Marcao, the interim coach who took over following Zubeldia's departure. Supporters are already talking about a "Marcao effect", and the numbers back up the excitement: qualification in the Libertadores and a win over the Brasileirao leaders in his two matches in charge. The club have yet to decide on a permanent coach for the remainder of 2026, and Marcao remains in the role with morale high.

In the Brasileirao, Fluminense are fourth with 38 points (10W, 8D, 5L). Their home form is the main asset: eight wins, three draws and just one defeat in 12 home games (27 points from a possible 36, according to FBref) — the best home record among the G-6 sides. The two teams last met in March, when Flu won 2-0 away from home.

Remo arrive at the Maracana with no other competition to focus on. Eliminated from the Copa do Brasil by Santos (1-0 on aggregate), the Leao Azul are contesting only the Brasileirao for the rest of the year.

In 18th place with 23 points (5W, 8D, 10L) — level on points with Mirassol (17th) — Leonardo Conde's side are inside the relegation zone and need points on the road to survive.

Their away form, however, offers little hope. They have just two wins, three draws and seven defeats in 12 away games (nine points from a possible 36, according to FBref), the third-worst away record in Serie A.

The team have not won in five matches, with three draws and two defeats, and their two most recent draws (2-2 against Atletico-MG and 1-1 against Internacional) picked up points but did not change their downward trajectory.

The gap in goal difference sums up the distance between the two sides: Fluminense are on +6 (34 scored, 28 conceded), while Remo sit on -10 (27 scored, 37 conceded).

Remo's defence concedes 1.61 goals per game (FBref), the fifth-worst in the competition, and they will visit a Fluminense side that scores 2.25 goals per game at home.

Fluminense Brasileiro form:

Fluminense form (all competitions):

Remo Brasileiro form:

Remo form (all competitions):

Team News

Fluminense will be without several key players for the match against Remo. Lucho Acosta, the club's assist leader with four assists in 19 appearances, and Guga, a right-back with 14 appearances and two assists, are both suspended through an accumulation of bookings. John Kennedy, the team's top scorer with nine goals in 18 games, is in the treatment room with no return date set.

Jefferson Savarino (three goals, two assists in 18 games) is also injured, alongside Riquelme Felipe, Igor Rabello and Matheus Reis. That makes seven players unavailable in total, including the top scorer, the assist leader and the main attacking midfielder. Marcao will have to improvise, likely fielding Nonato in place of Acosta, Samuel Xavier in place of Guga, and either Cano or Hulk as the focal point of the attack.

Remo arrive with a near-complete squad. Only two players are unavailable: left-back Mayk, who has made 14 appearances and provided one assist this season, and midfielder Edson Fernando, who has played in just one of the club's 23 matches. These are far less significant absences than those facing Fluminense.

Leonardo Conde is expected to keep the same core group from recent matches, focusing on defensive solidity to try to contain Flu's attack at the Maracana. Remo will need to be efficient on the counter-attack, as they are unlikely to have enough possession to control the game.

Fluminense possible starting lineup:

Fabio; Samuel Xavier, Jemmes, Millan and Guilherme Arana; Martinelli and Hercules; Canobbio, Ganso and Soteldo; Hulk. Head coach: Marcao (assistant coach).

Remo possible starting lineup:

Marcelo Rangel; Marcelinho, Marllon, Ivaldo and Marlon; Welison and Picco; Pikachu, Vitor Bueno and Jaja; Guilherme Taliari. Head coach: Leo Conde.

We say: Fluminense 2-0 Remo

Fluminense arrive in excellent spirits after two important victories under interim coach Marcao, and with a place in the top five of the Brasileiro, they will be eager to maintain their momentum and stay within touching distance of the leading pack.

Remo, meanwhile, are in a very different position, sitting in the relegation zone and struggling for consistency, while their poor head-to-head record offers little encouragement, having never beaten Fluminense.

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