Gremio vs Sao Paulo - prediction, team news, lineups

Gremio will be looking to climb out of the relegation zone when they welcome Sao Paulo to Arena do Gremio on Saturday for round 22 of the 2026 Brasileiro.

The hosts head into the contest after midweek Copa do Brasil action, while Sao Paulo have had a full week to prepare and will be aiming to end their winless run and climb away from mid-table.

Match preview

Luis Castro's Gremio are experiencing contrasting fortunes this season. In the Brasileirao, they have endured a campaign that has fallen well below expectations, sitting 17th with 22 points from 20 matches.

In the Copa do Brasil, however, the knockout format has suited them better, and the side secured a quarter-final berth by beating Mirassol 1-0, earning approximately £600,000 in prize money in the process.

Their hopes of reaching next year's Copa Libertadores rest on Copa do Brasil success, but they must also sound the alarm over their league position. Their last home win in the Brasileirao came in May, a 3-2 victory over Santos.

Sao Paulo find themselves in a similar predicament in the Brasileirao in terms of their winless run, though they remain in a comfortable position in the standings — 12th with 26 points from 20 matches.

They have gone seven consecutive matches without a win in the league, with three draws and four defeats in that spell. The last time Dorival Junior's side won in the Brasileirao was in the 13th round, in May.

Ahead of the trip to face Gremio, the Tricolor were afforded a full week to work on the team and chase a first away win in ten Brasileirao matches.

The two sides have met on 101 occasions in official competition, with Sao Paulo holding the edge — they have won 37, Gremio 34, and 29 meetings have ended in a draw.

In the most recent five encounters, however, Sao Paulo have only beaten Gremio at the Morumbi, winning on three occasions — by scores of 2-0, 2-1 and 1-0 — while losing both meetings at the Arena, 2-0 and 2-1.

Gremio Brasileiro form:

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Gremio form (all competitions):

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Sao Paulo Brasileiro form:

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Sao Paulo form (all competitions):

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Team News

With the home fixture approaching, Luis Castro will have some important players available. Defender Kannemann returned to the substitutes' bench for the match against Mirassol and is at the manager's disposal for the Brasileirao clash at the Arena.

Villasanti returned to Gremio's starting line-up in the win over Mirassol. The Paraguayan has made a complete recovery from the serious left knee injury he sustained in August 2025.

Having had the week free from fixtures, Sao Paulo took the opportunity to recover almost their entire injury list. Lucas Moura remains absent but has returned to training on the grass following the Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in May.

Domingos Duarte, the club's most recent signing, has been training at the Barra Funda training centre in recent weeks but is expected to be no more than a bench option for Dorival Junior.

Gremio possible starting lineup:

Weverton; Diego Caito, Gustavo Martins, Wallace, Marlon; Noriega, Villasanti, Nardoni; Amuzu, Carlos Vinicius, Pavon. Manager: Luis Castro.

Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:

Rafael; Lucas Ramon, Arboleda, Osorio, Wendell; Danielzinho, Pablo Maia, Marcos Antonio; Artur, Calleri, Luciano. Manager: Dorival Junior.

We say: Gremio 1-0 Sao Paulo

Gremio have an impressive recent record in this fixture, winning each of their last four home meetings with Sao Paulo, and they will hope to draw confidence from that trend despite their difficult campaign.

The visitors have struggled badly on their travels, failing to win any of their last 10 away matches, and we are backing Gremio to make home advantage count with a hard-fought victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.