Fluminense vs Gremio

A place in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals is up for grabs as Fluminense and Gremio go head-to-head in the return leg of their blockbuster last-16 tie at the famous Maracana.

Deeply embroiled in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A relegation battle, it’s been a disastrous domestic season for Fluminense, resulting in the sacking of Copa Libertadores-winning manager Fernando Diniz. New boss Mano Menezes, who took charge of the team in July on a short-term deal, has failed to engineer a revival, with the Tricolor on the verge of an early Copa Libertadores elimination after dropping a second-half lead in a 2-1 first-leg loss to Gremio. Fluminense followed that defeat with another disappointing performance in a scoreless home league draw against Corinthians, extending their winless streak to four matches across all competitions (D2, L2). On a rare positive note, that stalemate saw the four-time Brazilian champions keep a clean sheet after conceding precisely two goals in three previous games.

On the other hand, Gremio’s see-sawing Serie A season continued with a dismal 2-0 home loss to Bahia at the weekend, keeping the visiting side only three points clear of the bottom four. However, the pursuit of their fourth Copa Libertadores title and first since 2017 is still firmly on after a first-leg comeback. Gremio will relish the away second leg on Fluminense’s home ground, considering they’ve won the last three H2Hs at this venue by a single-goal margin. Moreover, Renato Portaluppi’s men are unbeaten on their four competitive road trips (W2, D2) since a 1-0 defeat at Sao Paulo in mid-July, netting at least two goals on three occasions. Yet, they’d be foolish to take anything for granted, knowing they had gone winless on seven travels straight (D3, L4) before winning back-to-back away matches earlier in August.