Preview: Mirassol vs Gremio - prediction, team news, lineups

Mirassol welcome Gremio to the Estadio Jose Maria de Campos Maia on Friday evening as the Brazilian Serie A resumes following the FIFA World Cup break.

The hosts head into the contest sitting 19th in the standings and looking to reignite their survival bid, while Gremio are only five points better off in 16th place and are also desperate to pull clear of the relegation zone.

Match preview

Mirassol return to league action knowing they must begin closing the gap to safety after collecting just 16 points from the opening half of the campaign.

Their last Serie A outing before the break ended in a 1-0 defeat away to Athletico-PR, leaving them five points behind Gremio, who occupy the first position outside the relegation zone.

The campaign has been a sharp contrast to last season, when Mirassol finished fourth and qualified for the Copa Libertadores, with the team struggling to recover after conceding the opening goal in the majority of their league matches.

However, there have been encouraging signs at home, where Mirassol have won five of their last six matches across all competitions, including victories over Fluminense in Serie A and Always Ready in the Copa Libertadores.

The hosts will also draw confidence from their recent record against Gremio, having won all three previous meetings between the clubs, including a 4-1 league victory in 2025 and a 3-2 success in the Copa do Brasil.

Gremio, meanwhile, head into the second half of the campaign under pressure after ending the first part of the season with a 3-1 home defeat to Corinthians.

The Porto Alegre side occupy 16th place with 21 points, only one point above the relegation zone, making a positive restart to the campaign crucial.

Although Gremio picked up victories over Cascavel and Cruzeiro in friendly matches during the World Cup break, their last league win came against Santos before losing to Corinthians in their final competitive fixture.

The visitors also face a demanding schedule over the coming weeks, with Copa Sudamericana and Copa do Brasil commitments adding further importance to picking up points in the league whenever possible.

Mirassol Brasileiro form:

Mirassol form (all competitions):

Gremio Brasileiro form:

Gremio form (all competitions):

Team News

Mirassol have strengthened their squad with the arrivals of Gustavo Silva, Bruno Santos, Japa and Fernandinho, while Elias and Gabriel Knesowitsch have returned from their loan spells at Cuiaba.

Igor Formiga remains unavailable because of a thigh injury, while Firmino Araujo has been ruled out for the rest of the season following knee surgery.

Gremio have added Jovane Cabral to their squad for the second half of the campaign, while Matheus Nascimento also impressed by scoring in the recent friendly victory over Cruzeiro.

The visitors will be without Marlon because of an ankle injury, while Joao Pedro continues his recovery from a thigh problem.

Thiago Beltrame is suspended following his red card against Corinthians, while Enamorado also misses out through suspension.

Mirassol possible starting lineup:

Walter; Borges, J. Victor, L. Oliveira, Reinaldo; J. Aldo, Denilson; C. Eduardo, Shaylon, Alesson; Edson Carioca

Gremio possible starting lineup:

Weverton; Pavon, Gustavo Martins, L. Guedes, Gabriel; Perez, Nardoni; Tete, Gabriel Mec, Willian; Carlos Vinicius

We say: Mirassol 1-0 Gremio

Both sides desperately need points as they attempt to move away from the relegation zone, and the long World Cup break could make this a cautious affair.

Mirassol have been far more convincing on home soil in recent weeks and boast an excellent record against Gremio, which gives them a slight edge. We expect the hosts to make home advantage count and claim a narrow victory.

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