Palmeiras can move to the top of the Campeonato Brasileiro on Saturday, when it meets Bragantino at 18h30 at Arena Crefisa Barueri in the 32nd round. Premiere will show the game live, and ge will follow every action in Tempo Real.
The stakes are immediate. Palmeiras is second with 66 points, one behind Flamengo, and would take first place with a win before Flamengo faces Atlético-MG on Monday. Bragantino is 10th with 41 points, still in the race for the pré-Libertadores zone, and comes in after a 1-1 draw with Remo. For both teams, this is not just another league date. It is a match that can change what the next stretch looks like.
The table gives Palmeiras a narrow opening, but the squad will not be at full strength. Piquerez and Andreas Pereira are suspended after the last round against Athletico, while Paulinho is out with trauma in the right calf, Vitor Roque is recovering from a right ankle sprain and Jefté is also unavailable after a preventive suspension for doping. That leaves Abel with a real adjustment to make, and one option under consideration is a three-midfielder setup that would give Sosa more presence in the box.
Bragantino also arrives with problems of its own. Vagner Mancini has lost Gustavo Marques to groin pain and Eric Ramires to suspension after a third yellow card, and that opens a spot that Gabriel, Sosa and Patrick are competing to fill. Tiago Volpi has been central to the team’s season, with 24 matches, six clean sheets, 28 goals conceded and 63 saves, while Carlos Miguel brings 30 matches, 13 clean sheets, 22 goals conceded and 70 saves for Palmeiras. The expected lineups reflect the shape of the game: Bragantino could start with Volpi, Ryan, Guzmán Rodríguez, Alix Vinícius, Juninho Capixaba, Fabinho, Lucas Barbosa, Fernando, Wallace Yan and Eduardo Sasha, while Palmeiras is expected to line up with Carlos Miguel, Murilo, Gustavo Gómez, Barboza, Giay, Marlon Freitas, Lucas Evangelista, Arthur, Arias, Flaco López and Sosa or Mauricio.
The venue shift adds another layer to the afternoon. The game is being moved to Barueri because Nubank Parque will host shows this weekend, and Palmeiras will then turn quickly to another big date, against Estudiantes on 28 November in the Conmebol Libertadores final. Saturday’s result could leave it leading the league, chasing Flamengo from above, or forced to keep waiting for another opening.
