Corinthians ready for Grêmio, striker on importance of clash | OneFootball

Corinthians wrapped up their preparations this Friday (29) at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava for the clash against Grêmio in the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship. The match will be played at 5:30 p.m. this Saturday (30) at the Arena do Grêmio in Porto Alegre.

The session began with a video featuring tactical instructions. Next, the players did physical work in the gym and warmed up on the pitch before training under head coach Fernando Diniz. The coach led a tactical drill on a reduced-size field, with ten-a-side teams, paying special attention to offensive and defensive adjustments. Set-piece plays were also part of the preparation.

For the match in Porto Alegre, Corinthians will have important absences. Forward Memphis Depay has already joined the Netherlands national team for the World Cup and will not be available. Another absent player will be Jesse Lingard, who was released by the club’s board and coaching staff to travel to England and deal with family matters.

In the Brasileirão standings, Corinthians and Grêmio are in a similar situation. Timão sits 15th with 21 points, the same total as the club from Rio Grande do Sul, which is one place above due to goal difference. Internally, the match is seen as crucial to move the team away from the relegation zone before the schedule is paused for the Club World Cup.

“We see this game as a final. It’s a match that will define many things for us. Then there’s the World Cup break, and we need to go into it clear of the relegation zone. We’re going all out to win,” said forward Kaio César.

The last meeting between the sides ended in a 2-0 Corinthians victory at Neo Química Arena in the second half of the 2025 Brasileirão season. On that occasion, Gustavo Henrique and Memphis Depay scored the goals in the black-and-white team’s win.

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