Corinthians wrap up preparations for Grêmio, striker on clash importance | OneFootball

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

The session began with a tactical briefing video. 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 teams of ten against ten, giving 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 player who will be absent is Jesse Lingard, who was released by the 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 in 15th place with 21 points, the same tally as the club from Rio Grande do Sul, which is one spot above due to goal difference. Internally, the match is seen as crucial to move the team away from the relegation zone before the calendar break for the Club World Cup.

“We’re treating this game like a final. It’s a match that defines a lot for us. Then there’s the World Cup break, and we need to go into it away from the relegation zone. We’re going all out to win,” said forward Kaio César.

The last meeting between the teams 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 side’s win.

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