Gremio - Internacional predictions and free betting tips [22/06/2024]

On Saturday, 22nd June, as part of the 11th round of the Brazilian Serie A, Grêmio will host Internacional. Following their defeat to Fortaleza, the black-and-blues have settled in the penultimate spot in the standings, while the visitors defeated Corinthians during the week and remained in ninth place.

Grêmio

This season, Grêmio has increasingly disappointed their fans with failures, resulting in the team landing in the relegation zone. Renato Gaúcho's squad has lost their last five league matches by a one-goal margin, including each of the previous three. They have secured their only two victories of the current Serie A campaign at home, although they also lost their last two matches on home turf (the worst record since 2019). With just six points from the first eight rounds, Grêmio is only two points behind the safe 16th spot. Last week, the hosts faced Fortaleza and predictably folded 1-0, with Lucero's first-half goal proving decisive. Notably, Grêmio ranks 14th overall in home points earned (six points).

It's important to note that Renato Gaúcho's squad struggles offensively: they haven't managed to score more than one goal per game in their last six matches across all competitions. The hosts will be without Jhonata Robert, who has a knee injury; Mila is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear, and Diego Costa will be unavailable until the end of June due to a muscle strain. Furthermore, Grêmio will be without Pepê, Everton Galdino, and Gustavo Nunes, who are suspended. Jeferson Soteldo and Mathías Villasanti have joined Venezuela and Paraguay respectively for the Copa America. As a result, the attacking trio will again consist of Pavón, Galvão, and Fernandes, with Nathan and Dodi responsible for creativity in midfield. Eli and Martins will play as centre-backs, and Marchesín will don the goalkeeper gloves.

Internacional

Internacional will play three of their next four league matches away from home and will aim to secure back-to-back wins in Serie A for the first time since April. Last week, Eduardo Coudet's men ended a two-match winless run, registering their third clean sheet of the season by defeating Corinthians 1-0, thanks to Wesley's solitary goal. This triumph allowed the red-and-whites to remain in ninth place in the standings, with just three points separating them from Cruzeiro in sixth place and the Copa Libertadores zone. Nine of the 14 points earned by Internacional this season have come on the road (eighth-best in the division), and the team hasn't lost back-to-back domestic fixtures away from home since August 2023 (3-1 against Botafogo).

It's worth noting that the visitors have allowed more than one goal in a game just once in their previous six matches across all competitions, while they have only managed to score seven times in the first eight rounds (a worse tally only held by Grêmio). Internacional's main goalkeeper Sérgio Rochet will represent Uruguay at the Copa America, Enner Valencia has been called up to the Ecuador national team, and Rafael Borré will join the Colombian squad for the continental tournament. After scoring the decisive goal against Corinthians, Wesley is likely to start, and Fabrício, who kept a clean sheet, will occupy the goalkeeper's position. Creativity in attack will be handled by Jhojan, Wanderson, and centre-forward Alario, while the defensive pairing will consist of Gomes and Fernando.

Head-to-Head

Internacional have won the previous two head-to-head encounters with Grêmio, but haven't triumphed on the road since 2006 (1-0).

Grêmio vs Internacional Prediction

Grêmio remains in a deep crisis and has deservedly sunk into the relegation zone. The black-and-blues have suffered three consecutive defeats and have only collected six points in four home league matches, while the visitors aim to reach the Copa Libertadores zone. Internacional is just three points away from the top six, making it imperative to win on Saturday night. I am backing a victory for the red-and-whites with a handicap of 0.