Preview: Gremio vs Sao Paulo - prediction, team news, lineups

The battle for places in the Copa Sudamericana is heating up, with Gremio fighting to break into the top 12 in Serie A, starting with a midweek match against Sao Paulo on October 16.

The visitors are already comfortably nestled in eighth place and can make a serious challenge for a Copa Libertadores spot, which is just five points away.

Match preview

Eight wins from 27 Brasileiro Serie A games does not paint a great picture for Gremio, but their strength at home is clear, as five of those victories came in Porto Alegre.

However, the weakness for the Immortal Tricolour this season has been stalemates, as nine of their league matches have ended in a draw (33%), partly the reason why they find themselves on the fringes.

Gremio went through a change in head coach in April, when the club parted ways with Gustavo Quinteros, who was only in the job for just over three months, and was replaced by interim coach James Freitas.

Finally, Mano Menezes was identified as the man to return to the Gremio dugout, after having an initial spell with the club between 2005 and 2007.

Menezes’s biggest problem since taking over has been converting draws into wins - from 28 games so far, 12 of them ended as stalemates, while he has lost and won eight apiece.

Last weekend’s defeat to Red Bull Bragantino ended a four-game undefeated streak, so the hosts will be eager to enjoy the sweet taste of victory once again.

History is on their side, though, as Gremio have won the last three consecutive home head-to-heads against Sao Paulo, another indication that they are at their best in the comforts of their headquarters.

Sao Paulo are on course to match last season’s sixth-place finish, but they must improve on their recent form, which has seen the Tricolour Paulista win just one game from their previous six outings in all competitions.

The visitors have also gone through some changes this season, with Luis Zubeldia exiting the head coach role in June this year, paving the way for Hernan Crespo to jump into the hot seat for the second time in his managerial career.

The former Chelsea striker has managed 21 games this term, winning 10 and losing eight of those fixtures, averaging 1.57 points per match.

Despite having a hard time recently, losing last week at home to Palmeiras, Sao Paulo have dominated the recent overall head-to-head with Gremio, winning three of the last four most recent clashes, although all were at home.

Gremio Brasileiro form:

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Sao Paulo Brasileiro form:

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Sao Paulo form (all competitions):

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Team News

Gremio head coach Menezes is missing 11 players through injury, including names like Willian (foot), Cristian Olivera (muscle), Joao Pedro (shoulder), Carlos Vinicius (hamstring) and number one goalkeeper Tiago Volpi (muscle), among others.

The club’s leading goalscorer in the league, Martin Braithwaite, is out after going for surgery on his Achilles tendon, so Andre Henrique is likely the man to spearhead the attack.

To compound matters, club captain Walter Kannemann received his marching orders last week, so he will miss out on the visit of Sao Paulo.

Crespo’s injury list is not as lengthy as Gremio’s, but he will be without three centre forwards, including Jonathan Calleri, Ryan Francisco and his top scorer, Andre Silva, all of whom are battling cruciate ligament issues.

Sao Paulo do not have any suspensions in place, but four players are at risk of an accumulation of yellow cards in this upcoming fixture, including Alison, Damian Bobadilla, Marcos Antonio and Alan Franco, so they will have to be careful to avoid a one-match ban.

Gremio possible starting lineup:

Grando; Martins, Noriega, Leonardo, Marlon; Dodi, Melo; Pavon, Edenilson, Aravena; Henrique

Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:

Rafael; Franco, Arboleda, Sabinho; Soares, Bobadilla, Antonio, Maia, Diaz; Luciano, Moura