Internacional change boss before key Brasileirão clash with Corinthians | OneFootball

The break for the FIFA international window will bring changes for one of Corinthians’ rivals in the battle against the bottom spots of the Brazilian Championship. Internacional, Timão’s next opponent in the competition, announced this Wednesday (23) the signing of Eduardo Baptista, 54, to take charge of the team in the final stretch of the season.

The coach leaves Criciúma, where he had been working since May 2025, to replace Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano, who was dismissed by the club from Rio Grande do Sul last Sunday. Eduardo arrives at Beira-Rio with the mission of turning things around in the league and taking Internacional out of the relegation zone.

Photo: Disclosure/Criciúma

According to information published by ge, the agreement between the parties will be valid until the end of the current Brasileirão. The contract also provides for a bonus for the coach if Colorado manages to stay in Série A.

Change comes at a delicate moment in the table

The change in command comes just before an important clash for Internacional and Corinthians in the fight to pull away from the Z4.

After 28 rounds, Internacional sits in 18th place with 28 points, inside the relegation zone. Corinthians is also in a worrying situation in the competition and appears in 14th place with 32 points, four more than its next opponent.

In the most recent round, Colorado visited São Paulo at Morumbis and was beaten 1-0. Before that, it had earned three points away from home by defeating Chapecoense 2-1 in Chapecó.

Timão, meanwhile, is going through its worst run in the championship. The black-and-white team has suffered six straight defeats in the Brasileirão, a streak that began against Cruzeiro and was followed by losses to Coritiba, Santos, Chapecoense, Flamengo, and Fluminense.

In its most recent match, Corinthians lost 3-1 to Fluminense at Neo Química Arena.

Eduardo Baptista returns to Série A

His arrival at Internacional also marks Eduardo Baptista’s return to the top flight of the Brazilian Championship after four years. His last spell in Série A came in 2022, when he managed Atlético-GO for six matches and left the club in September of that season.

Before accepting Internacional’s offer, Eduardo had been in charge of Criciúma since May 2025. The coach leaves the Santa Catarina side inside Série B’s G-6.

His career as a head coach began at Sport in 2014. Since then, Eduardo has had spells at clubs such as Fluminense, Ponte Preta, Palmeiras, Athletico Paranaense, Coritiba, Vila Nova, CSA, Mirassol, Remo, Juventude, Atlético-GO, and Novorizontino, in addition to Criciúma.

Now, he will have the final stretch of the Brasileirão to try to change Internacional’s situation and avoid relegation to the Second Division.

Corinthians will be one of the first challenges in the final stretch

Corinthians and Internacional will have a period without matches before the clash due to the extended FIFA international break. The meeting is scheduled for October 7, a Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m., at Beira-Rio, for the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship.

The match carries extra weight because of both teams’ proximity to the relegation zone. While Internacional begins a new project in search of a turnaround, Corinthians is trying to stop its run of six defeats and get back to picking up points in the national tournament.

The black-and-white squad will report back to CT Joaquim Grava this Thursday (25) to begin preparations during the period without matches.

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