Corinthians vs Cruzeiro preview

Brazil flag 2026 Serie A, Brazil
Arena Corinthians Today - 10:30 PM
Serie A
CorinthiansCTH
CruzeiroCRZ
KICKOFF : Today - 10:30 PM
Round 23 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Corinthians host Cruzeiro at Arena Corinthians in a Serie A regular season fixture during the 2026 campaign. The home side sits eighth in the domestic standings while the visitors occupy sixth place. Power scores show a narrow edge for Cruzeiro at 69.24 compared with 67.61 for Corinthians, giving the away team a 1.6 point advantage overall. Corinthians hold a stronger recent form rating of 33.89 against Cruzeiro's 25.28. Both clubs enter the contest with limited set piece data available and low confidence metrics across attacking and defensive categories. The match represents a standard league encounter without any knockout tie complications. Corinthians will look to leverage home support while Cruzeiro aims to exploit its slight overall power superiority.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Cruzeiro holds a narrow power score advantage of 1.6 points over Corinthians.
  • Form: Corinthians post a higher form score of 33.89 compared to Cruzeiro's 25.28.
  • Squad: League positions place Cruzeiro sixth and Corinthians eighth in the domestic table.
  • Efficiency: No efficiency metrics are available for either side ahead of the fixture.
  • Transition: Neither team provides recent outing data for transition analysis.
  • Set pieces: Set piece data remains unavailable with low confidence and proxy usage noted.
  • xVariable: Cruzeiro is identified as the stronger team on overall power metrics.
  • Market: Corinthians 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Cruzeiro 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Corinthians F. Diniz Silva
F. Diniz Silva
VS
Cruzeiro Artur Jorge
Artur Jorge
1.45
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.68
2.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Bragantino Rank: 65 W
Athletico PR Rank: 66 D
Bahia Rank: 63 D
Remo Rank: 58 W
Grêmio Rank: 63 W
Atlético Mineiro Rank: 65 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
2.17 i
Last 6 Opponents
Mirassol Rank: 66 W
Coritiba Rank: 63 W
Botafogo Rank: 68 L
Internacional Rank: 63 W
Fluminense Rank: 68 D
Chapecoense Rank: 52 W
1
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
1 - 2 - 2
2
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
67.61
69.24
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Corinthians
Cruzeiro
Power Score
67.61
69.24
League Position
8
6
Global Rank
329
286

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Corinthians — Opponent-weighted form score
Cruzeiro — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Corinthians Cruzeiro

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 5 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Corinthians CTH Home
5 matches
Cruzeiro CRZ Away
Match Record
1
Wins
2
2
Draws
2
2
Losses
1
Goals
4
Goals Scored
8
8
Goals Conceded
4
-4
Goal Difference
+4
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-16T21:00:36+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Match Formation 4-3-1-2
Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Pitch

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 16, 2026, 10:30 PM
Competition
2026 Serie A, Brazil · Round 23 · Regular Season
Stadium
Arena Corinthians
Capacity
49205
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Davi de Oliveira Lacerda
Thiago Americano Labes
Douglas Pagung
Bruno Mota Correia

Expected Lineup

Referee : Davi de Oliveira Lacerda

Starting XI ▼

1
Hugo Souza
Hugo Souza Goalkeeper
6.73
61
Dieguinho
Dieguinho Attacker
6.61
56
Gui Negão
Gui Negão Attacker
6.59
20
Pedro Milans
Pedro Milans Right Back
6.76
26
Fabrizio Angileri
Fabrizio Angileri Left Back
6.9
35
Charles
Charles Central Midfield
6.54
4
Tchoca
Tchoca Left Back
7.52
5
André Ramalho
André Ramalho Right Back
6.82
29
Allan
Allan Central Midfield
6.71
23
Matheus Pereira
Matheus Pereira Central Midfield
6.67
77
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard Attacking Midfield
6.58
Referee : Davi de Oliveira Lacerda

Starting XI ▼

81
Otávio Costa
Otávio Costa Goalkeeper
6.63
97
Luciano Rodríguez
Luciano Rodríguez Centre Forward
6.67
67
João Costa
João Costa Right Wing
6.68
5
Zé Lucas
Zé Lucas Defensive Midfield
6.6
7
Matheus Henrique
Matheus Henrique Attacking Midfield
6.66
25
Lucas Villalba
Lucas Villalba Left Back
6.58
8
Gerson
Gerson Defensive Midfield
6.96
15
Fabrício Bruno
Fabrício Bruno Right Back
6.91
43
João Marcelo
João Marcelo Left Back
6.85
20
Wesley
Wesley Left Wing
7.41
23
Fagner
Fagner Right Back
6.79

CONCLUSION

This Serie A clash pits two mid table sides against each other with Cruzeiro carrying a marginal overall power edge. Corinthians benefit from home conditions at Arena Corinthians and a superior current form rating that could help offset the visitors slight advantage. Limited data on efficiency and set pieces leaves room for on field surprises in those areas. Cruzeiro will seek to impose its marginally stronger profile while Corinthians aim to capitalise on venue familiarity and recent momentum. The encounter should feature competitive exchanges typical of domestic league play between closely matched opponents. Expect both teams to focus on structured build up and defensive organisation given the absence of detailed transition or set piece insights.