Two sides looking to push further up the Brasileirão table meet at the Estádio Couto Pereira, with Coritiba aiming to bounce back after a run of poor results, while Internacional searches for consistency after an up-and-down start to the season.
The last meeting between these sides came back in October 2023, when the two teams played out a classic encounter. Mauricio Garcez put Coritiba in front after an early red card for Vitão.
Alan Patrick levelled things up. Matheus Bianqui restored Coritiba’s lead before half-time. In the second-half, two Robson penalties made it 4-2 heading into stoppage time. Enner Valencia pulled one back late on, but Coritiba held on for a thrilling 4-3 victory.
Coritiba
The hosts Coritiba will be hoping to bounce back after a disappointing few weeks. They have won just once in their last seven matches, with that victory coming in a 2-0 win over Atlético Mineiro.
Coxa began the month in disastrous fashion, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Vitória on the road. Rene opened the scoring before Tiago Coser was shown a red card.
Ze Vitor doubled their lead just two minutes later. Pedro Rocha pulled one back for Coritiba before half-time to give them a bit of hope, but second-half goals from Diego Tarzia and an Erick penalty sealed a stunning 4-1 victory for Vitória.
Coritiba will now be desperate to respond here. One of their key players this season has been Breno Lopes, who has registered five goals and one assist in 12 matches. He has not scored in his last two appearances and was suspended for the defeat to Vitória, but will now be hoping to return and make a statement in this fixture.
Tiago Cóser and Thiago Santos are both suspended for this match, while Maicon is also a doubt due to fatigue. Potential replacements include Rodrigo Moledo, although he has not featured since February.
As mentioned, Lopes is set to return after suspension and is expected to replace Lavanga, who started last week. Keno, Rodrigo Rodrigues, and Pedro Morisco remain sidelined through injury.
Internacional
Internacional come into this match having recorded four wins, five draws, and five defeats from their opening 14 league matches, scoring 14 goals and conceding 14.
Last time out, they faced Brasil de Pelotas in the Recopa Gaúcha, earning a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Vitinho and Rafael Santos Borré, after Lula had opened the scoring in the 76th minute for the hosts.
The result means Internacional are now unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions and are beginning to make steady progress.
Their last league outing saw them claim a 2-0 victory over Fluminense in a feisty contest that produced six yellow cards in the first half alone. Former Celtic defender Alexandro Bernabei opened the scoring on 39 minutes before Alan Patrick doubled Inter’s advantage shortly after the restart. The result helped move Internacional further up the table and build momentum heading into this fixture.
Inter have no suspensions for this match, although manager Paulo Pezzolano could still be without several players. Goalkeeper Sergio Rochet remains a doubt with a calf injury after missing the last few games, while Gabriel Mercado and Alan Rodríguez are both expected to miss out. However, Rochet could return between the sticks for this matchup.
Brasileirão Breakdown 