Preview: Internacional vs. Corinthians

Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Brasileiro clash between Internacional and Corinthians, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Struggling Corinthians travel to Estadio Orlando Scarpelli on Thursday to face Internacional in the Brasileiro, hoping to make this a turning point for their season.

The visitors are winless in five consecutive matches and sit just one place above the relegation zone heading into this affair.

Match preview
© Reuters

Internacional’s four-match unbeaten run across all competitions ended on Sunday, when they lost 2-1 to bottom-placed Vitoria at Estadio Manoel Barradas.

The Reds fell behind early when Willian Oliveira found the net in the eighth minute before restoring parity through Wesley in the 82nd minute. However, Wagner Leonardo converted a late penalty to hand Eduardo Coudet’s side their second defeat of the season.

The hosts sit 10th in the league table, eight points behind league leaders Flamengo, having played two fewer games than most teams above them.

Having won their last meeting against Corinthians, Internacional will hope they can record back-to-back league victories in this fixture for the first time ever.

However, the hosts have not won a home match against the visitors since 2018, drawing all five games on home soil against them since then.

Corinthians have endured a poor start to the current league campaign, claiming just one win in nine matches to sit in 16th place with seven points.

Antonio Oliveira’s men were able to salvage a 2-2 draw with Sao Paulo last time out, with all four goals scored in the first half of the game.

Time do Povo will hope they can end a five-match winless run in the Brasileiro when they travel to Internacional. However, they have not won on the road this season, drawing just once in four away matches.

Oliveira’s men have struggled to score in away matches, with just two goals scored in four matches, while they have conceded over twice the number of goals (7) they have let in at home (3).

Internacional Brasileiro form:

Internacional form (all competitions):

Corinthians Brasileiro form:

Corinthians form (all competitions):

Team News
© Reuters

Internacional will be without a number of stars due to international assignments, including Rafael Santos Borre, Sergio Rochet and former West Ham United man Enner Valencia.

Mauricio and Ivan are sidelined with knee issues while Alan Patrick will miss this clash due to a thigh injury.

Corinthians’ Felix Torres (Ecuador) and Angel Romero (Paraguay) are away with their national teams for the 2024 Copa America.

Twenty-four-year-old defender Caetano is suspended for one match after he was sent off in the last league game.

Fagner and Pedro Henrique (both thigh) are expected back in a couple of weeks, but Maycon is absent for the foreseeable future because of a severe knee injury.

Internacional possible starting lineup:
Fabricio; Mallo, Vitao, Mercado, Renan; Maia, Dias, Aranguiz, Wanderson; Hyoran, Alario

Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Miguel; Matheuzinho, Caca, Henrique, Farias; Raniele, Moscardo, Coronado; Mosquito, Alberto, Wesley

We say: Internacional 1-1 Corinthians
Corinthians have had a poor start to the league campaign and things do not like they will get better at the moment. However, Internacional have also looked out of depth in recent weeks. We think that this will end in a stalemate.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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