Operario-PR vs Fluminense - Copa Do Brasil

Season-defining implications hang over this Copa Do Brasil clash at the home ground, where Operario-PR host Fluminense on April 24, 2026 knowing the result could shape the run-in for both clubs. It has not been a daunting fixture list but there are signs that Mourinho has found a way to get the best from an increasingly stacked Madrid squad.

Both Operario-PR and Fluminense will be eager to build momentum when they meet in Copa Do Brasil. The hosts will hope that the the home ground crowd can inspire a performance, whatever the numbers suggest. The visitors will back themselves to cause problems and will not make the trip expecting an easy afternoon. That result ended the European giants' 14-game unbeaten run in the competition, as Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham were contained by an "incredible" performance from a player barely anyone outside of France had heard of.

Pressing intensity will define the contest. Operario-PR will seek to win the ball high up the pitch and suffocate Fluminense's build-up, while the visitors will aim to play through the pressure and exploit the spaces it leaves behind. And there are still question marks even in attack, where they have an abundance of supporting forwards including Mbeumo, Cunha and Amad Diallo, but only one out-and-out striker in Sesko.

The fixture features no shortage of talent, and the league's top marksman Carlos Vinícius — 3 goals this term — will be one to watch. The battle in midfield, where both sides look to control tempo, could prove the decisive arena. Lewis Hall in pre-season action for Newcastle United(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images) Manchester United and Arsenal sent scouts to watch Brazilian forward Kaua Elias score a perfect hat-trick for Shakhtar Donetsk, according to The Sun.

Predictions are tricky when the sides are this evenly matched, and small margins — a moment of quality, a slice of luck — could decide it either way. With the sides so closely matched, a 1-1 stalemate looks the most likely way this one ends. With positions in the Copa Do Brasil table to defend and momentum to chase, neither side can afford to leave anything in the tank. Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or.