Grêmio and Cruzeiro meet on Sunday at 16h in the Arena in a match that carries the weight of the 31st round of the Brasileirão. Globo, ge TV and Premiere will show it, while ge will track every move in real time.
For Renato Portaluppi, the game is more than another date on the calendar. He is still searching for his first win since returning last month, and Grêmio’s run has left little room for comfort: six matches without a victory, with three defeats and three draws, have kept the team in 18th place on 31 points. A win would not fix everything, but it could pull Grêmio out of the Z-4 by the end of the round if Corinthians do not beat Vitória on Monday.
Cruzeiro arrives with its own pressure. The team beat São Paulo 2-0 at the end of the Data Fifa break, then fell 4-2 to Bragantino, and now sits in 6th place on 48 points, three behind Fluminense in the G-4. That leaves both sides chasing points for different reasons, even if the table puts them in different lanes.
The biggest question in the home camp is whether Portaluppi keeps Krovinovic in the starting lineup after his debut under Renato in the last round. During the week, he tested a three-center-back system with Noriega included, which points to a possible shift if he wants more protection behind the ball. Wallace is suspended, and Jovane Cabral, Nardoni and João Borne are out injured, while Carlos Vinícius, Diego Caito and João Pedro are among those one booking away from trouble.
Cruzeiro also has decisions to make. Felipe Morais is suspended, Lucas Romero has recovered from pain in his left calf, and Fagner is again an option on the right side, where he competes with William for a place. Gerson may be pushed further forward, Wesley may get another chance, and Fabrício Bruno also has a chance to return in defense, but Gabriel Pec and Sinisterra remain injured. The warning list is crowded, with Otávio, William, Kauã Moraes, João Marcelo, Fabrício Bruno, Lucas Villalba, Gabriel Rojas, Lucas Silva, Gerson, Wesley and Kaio Jorge all carrying that risk.
One detail adds another layer to the afternoon: 30% of Cruzeiro’s goals conceded in 2026 came from set pieces, a weakness that could matter in a game likely to be decided by small margins. João Vitor Gobi will referee, with Bruno Boschilia, Brigida Cirilo Ferreira, Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral and Fabiano Monteiro dos Santos on the officiating team. By kickoff, the lineups may still move, but the pressure on both benches will not.
