Gremio will hope to move out of the Brasileiro drop zone this week when they head to Estadio Governador Placido Aderaldo Castelo to face Fortaleza on Thursday morning.
The hosts are in 12th place in the league standings, currently on 10 points after eight games, while the visitors are one of four sides on six points at the bottom of the table.
Match preview
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After finishing each of the last three seasons in the top half of the table, Fortaleza have made another decent start to a league season, currently just five points below RB Bragantino in the final Copa Libertadores qualifier spot.
However, after going the first six matches of the campaign without defeat, including two wins and four draws, Leao do Pici are now looking to bounce back from two consecutive defeats in their last two matches.
The first of those was somewhat excusable, losing 1-0 to high-flyers Bahia, but the second was rather alarming, going down 5-0 to Cuiaba, who began last weekend second-bottom with just four points in eight games.
Indeed, Juan Pablo Vojvoda's side played the entire second half against Cuiaba with only nine men, though they were already 3-0 down before Renato Kayzer and Emanuel Britez were given their marching orders.
Nevertheless, both those defeats came in away games, and the Tricolor will be looking forward to returning to their home patch, where they are still unbeaten this season (W1 D3 L0) after a tough week on the road.
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Speaking of tough times, Gremio have been finding it very difficult this season, currently below the dotted line after an incredible 2023 campaign that saw them come two points short of the Brasileiro title.
Owing to the floods earlier this season, Clube de Todos have been left without a home for matches and training, and have managed just two wins from their first seven games, while losing the other five.
The most recent of those defeats came on Sunday night when they were beaten 2-1 by Botafogo at their makeshift home base, extending their current losing streak in the league to four matches.
Renato Gaucho's men have also conceded two goals in each of their last three league games, while their tally of six goals scored this season is the joint-lowest, alongside their opponents in this match and Internacional.
Aside from their poor form this season, history also suggests that Gremio are likely to struggle to get a result in this match, having failed to beat Fortaleza in any of their last seven encounters, losing two and drawing five dating back to June 2019.
Team News
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As mentioned, Kayzer and Britez will play no part in this match and could be out for longer than expected after their altercations with the referee following their red cards.
Kervin Andrade and Benjamin Kuscevic are likely to miss at least the next five games, having linked up with the Venezuela and Chile national teams respectively to prepare for the upcoming Copa America in the United States.
Midfielders Marinho, Moises and Calebe are all sidelined with thigh injuries and are only expected to return to first-team action next month.
For Gremio, Mathias Villasanti and Yeferson Soteldo are also on international duty, while Gustavo Nunes will have to watch on from the sideline due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa is set for an extended absence due to a muscle injury, and he will be joined on the treatment table by Andre Henrique, Lucas Mila and strike partner Jhonata Robert.
Fortaleza possible starting lineup:
Ricardo; Tinga, Titi, Cardona, Pacheco; Rossetto, Welison, Pochettino; Pikachu, Lucero, Lopes
Gremio possible starting lineup:
Caique; Fabio, Geromel, martins, Mayk; Carballo, Dodi, Cristaldo; Gomes, Pedro, Pavon
We say: Fortaleza 1-0 Gremio
The 2024 season has been a total nightmare for Gremio so far, as they find themselves without a home ground and missing several players due to international duty and injury. While Fortaleza have certainly not set the league alight themselves this term, they are still unbeaten at home and we feel they will be able to edge a victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
