Palmeiras face recent heroes in Brasileirão clash with Grêmio | OneFootball

Palmeiras face Grêmio this Thursday (2) at Arena Barueri in the 9th round of the Brazilian Championship, in a clash that goes beyond the fight for points. The match marks a reunion with two recent key figures from the club’s most successful era: Weverton and Marcos Rocha.

Starters for years under Abel Ferreira, the two were directly involved in one of the most dominant periods in Palmeiras’ history. This will be Weverton’s first reunion with his former club and Marcos Rocha’s second.

Weverton joined Grêmio in January 2026. Meanwhile, Marcos Rocha arrived at the club from Rio Grande do Sul in August 2025 and faced Verdão last year in Grêmio’s 3-2 win in the Brasileirão.

Careers at Palmeiras

Weverton arrived at Palmeiras in 2018 and became one of the pillars of the multi-title-winning team. During his spell, he played 454 matches – all as a starter – and won 12 titles, making him the second most decorated player in the club’s history, alongside names such as Marcos Rocha, Mayke, Dudu, Ademir da Guia, and Junqueira. He trails only Gustavo Gómez, who has 13 titles.

The goalkeeper was part of the campaigns for the three Brazilian league titles, the two Copa Libertadores titles, and the 2020 Copa do Brasil, among other trophies. Palmeiras even tried to renew his contract until the end of 2027, but Grêmio offered a three-year deal and completed the signing.

At the end of last season, Weverton lost his place after a hand injury and saw Carlos Miguel take over as first choice.

Marcos Rocha also built a successful career at the club. Signed on loan in 2018 and later bought permanently, the full-back played 346 matches and won the same 12 titles as Weverton.

In 2025, he lost space in the squad after Giay’s rise and Khellven’s arrival, featuring in only 17 matches that season, 13 of them in the Campeonato Paulista. Faced with offers including longer contracts, Palmeiras chose to release the player before the end of his deal.

Titles won by the duo:

• Copa Libertadores: 2020 and 2021• Brazilian Championship: 2018, 2022 and 2023• Copa do Brasil: 2020• Campeonato Paulista: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024• Recopa Sudamericana: 2022• Supercopa do Brasil: 2023

Current form of the teams

Palmeiras come into the match as leaders of the Brazilian Championship, with 19 points from a possible 24, as well as a perfect home record, with four wins from four games.

Grêmio, meanwhile, sit in 8th place with 11 points and are trying to move closer to the top group in the table.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.