As most of the world’s big leagues have finished for the season, the Brazilian football calendar is well underway. And after 10 games we already have a clear idea of which teams will be going for the title at the end of the season. Two of the teams that will be going for the title face off in match week 11 as Gremio make the trip to Palmeiras. Gremio sit in 2^nd-place while Palmeiras sit in 4^th and Palmeiras can close the gap to just 3 points between the two.

STATS

• Palmeiras are in great form and have won four of their last five games while keeping pace with the leading pack in the league. They narrowly edged Ponte Preta by two goals to one in their last game while scoring 12 goals in those five games. The only loss, away to Santos, was very disappointing after they dominated the game.
• Gremio are in similarly good form and have won three of their last five games in the league. They were defeated by Corinthians 1-0 in their last league match but it was only their second defeat of the league season so far. Their other defeat was a 7-goal thriller against Sport Recife where they lost 4-3. 
• Alejandro Guerra has been in good form for Palmeiras this season and with 4 league goals, he is their top goal scorer so far. Miguel Borja follows closely with 3 goals. They’re going to need one of these two to fire them to a positive result against Gremio.
• Gremio have two players with four league goals as Everton and Luan have hit the back of the net 8 times between them. They’ll be hoping to continue this strong partnership in this one.

HEAD TO HEAD

Palmeiras have been dominant in this fixture over the last few years as they have only allowed Gremio two wins in the last thirteen meetings between the sides. It is usually a low-scoring game as there have only been more than 2.5 goals in four of those meetings. The last meeting between the sides, incidentally in the Copa Do Brasil quarter-final, ended 1-1 which meant Gremio went through after a 2-1 win in the first leg.

PALMEIRAS NEWS

Palmeiras need to make sure they don’t fall out of touch with the leading pack in the league as a loss could see them slip 13 points behind leaders Corinthians. With a fully available squad, they will go into this fixture full of confidence as a win could put them third in the table.

Latest matches: Palmeiras SP

29.06.2017	Copa	Palmeiras SP	Cruzeiro MG	3:3	D
25.06.2017	Bras	Ponte Preta SP	Palmeiras SP	1:2	W
22.06.2017	Bras	Palmeiras SP	Atletico Goianiense	1:0	W
18.06.2017	Bras	EC Bahia BA	Palmeiras SP	2:4	W
15.06.2017	Bras	Santos FC SP	Palmeiras SP	1:0	L

GREMIO NEWS

Gremio can go top with a win over Palmeiras if their title rivals, Corinthians slip up in their game. But a loss will more than likely see the chasing pack close the sizable gap between themselves and second place. They are without two of their attacking players: Douglas and Jael, who have both picked up cruciate ligament ruptures. However, they shouldn’t be big misses for the Blues and they should have too much quality for the hosts.

Latest matches: Gremio RS

28.06.2017	Copa	Gremio RS	Atletico Paranaense	4:0	W
25.06.2017	Bras	Gremio RS	Corinthians SP	0:1	L
23.06.2017	Bras	Gremio RS	Coritiba PR	2:0	W
19.06.2017	Bras	Cruzeiro MG	Gremio RS	3:3	D
16.06.2017	Bras	Fluminense RJ	Gremio RS	0:2	W

SUMMARY

With their better run of form and stronger side, it is Gremio who are expected to take all three points but with home advantage behind them, Palmeiras are certainly in with a chance. As this fixture is rarely a high-scoring one, don’t expect plenty of goals and it will probably be decided by one goal.