Flamengo’s winning run faces a test from Gremio

The leaders set the stakes

Flamengo sit top of Serie A with 73 points after 33 matches, while Gremio are 15th on 37. The 36-point gap frames a meeting between the league leaders and a side lower down the table, with Flamengo aiming to keep their momentum going at the Maracanã.

The home side’s credentials are strong: they have won 22 of 33 league matches and lost only four. Their record in Rio is even better, with 12 wins, three draws and one defeat in 16 home games. Gremio, by contrast, have won only once in 16 away matches.

Four wins and counting

Flamengo’s latest league outing ended in victory, extending their current winning run to four matches and their unbeaten streak to ten. Across their last five league games, they have recorded four wins and a draw, scoring 13 goals and conceding five. That attacking output gives the leaders a compelling platform as they seek to continue their run.

Gremio also come into the match with confidence after winning their last league game, their second victory in a row. Their last five have brought two wins, two draws and a defeat, with seven goals scored and six conceded. But the contrast between the teams’ away and home records is stark: Gremio have lost ten of 16 away league matches and scored only ten goals on the road.

Recent meetings favour Flamengo

Flamengo have won three of the last five meetings, while Gremio have one victory and there has been one draw. The most recent encounter, in May, ended 1-0 to Flamengo away from home. Three of those five matches featured two goals or fewer, so Gremio may look to keep the contest close while Flamengo try to impose their current attacking rhythm.

Absences could shape the line-ups

Flamengo will be without Danilo, S. Niguez, G. Plata and A. Valencia; Lucas Paqueta is questionable. Gremio are missing Carlos Vinicius, Danilo Barbosa, Diego Caito, J. Nardoni, C. Pavon and Weverton, while J. Cabral is questionable.

Flamengo’s firepower in focus

Flamengo have scored 68 league goals and conceded 28, with 14 clean sheets. Their 32 goals in 16 home matches underline the threat Gremio must contain. Gremio have conceded 23 times away and scored ten, a record that puts particular pressure on their defence at the Maracanã.

Our prediction

Flamengo’s four-match winning streak, strong home record and greater goal threat point to the leaders extending their run. Gremio’s consecutive wins offer some encouragement, but their struggles on the road make a home victory the likelier outcome.

Flamengo 2-0 Gremio