Cruzeiro vs Gremio - Serie A

Cruzeiro prepare to host Gremio at the home ground on April 18, 2026, with both sides eager to assert their credentials and claim a result that could define their Serie A season. Just as was the case in the previous meeting between the teams in April of last year, when Emery's side gave them such a scare in the Champions League tie at Villa Park, PSG were hanging on at the end.

A glance at the Serie A table tells the story: Cruzeiro in 6th and Gremio in 16th, with positions to defend and places to climb. It has been a solid if unspectacular run for the hosts — LWLWW across their last five with a win rate of 44.44% — and they will want to push on from here. The visitors have been hard to predict on their travels, L in their last five reflecting a win rate of 26.92%. Where Cruzeiro have leaned on defensive discipline, Gremio have often taken the initiative going forward, and that stylistic difference should shape the contest. He was sacked by Fiorentina after Che Adams' late goal for Torino left them bottom of the Serie A table with three defeats out of three.

Wing play is likely to be central to the contest. Cruzeiro will look to stretch the pitch and isolate their wide attackers, while Gremio must find a way to compress the space and choke the supply lines. Schalke were third bottom for possession in winning the second tier, let alone facing Bayern.

All eyes will be on the league's leading marksman K. Viveros, whose 18 goals this season make him the standout threat and a player capable of deciding the outcome on his own. The battle in midfield, where both sides look to control tempo, could prove the decisive arena. City are contingency planning like any club would and are believed to be in talks with Lille to sign the highly rated 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed at the World Cup.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. On balance, Cruzeiro look well-placed to claim all three points, and a 2-1 home win would not come as a surprise. With the standings tight and form on the line, this is a fixture neither side will want to lose. And Fonseca does not place too much weight on the decision of Roberto Martinez to omit him from the World Cup squad in favour of his Benfica team-mate Tomas Araujo.