Grêmio’s scoreless draw with Palmeiras looked much steadier on the scoreboard than it did on the pitch. Weverton had to do plenty of work, while Grêmio created little of their own. Remo’s loss to Santos was a closer contest on chances, and Zé Ivaldo and Patrick are available again after missing it. That difference in the two performances is the heart of my call.
Palmeiras took 31 shots and generated 2.49 xG against Grêmio; Grêmio had seven shots and 0.97 xG. Renato has worked on getting the ball wide for crosses toward Carlos Vinícius, but that route still needs a stronger supply of useful chances than the Palmeiras game showed.
Remo kept Santos much closer, with roughly 0.84 xG against 0.90. The returning players give Carpini more support behind the attack, while Taliari and Pikachu offer ways to get into dangerous areas. The earlier meeting finished scoreless, but it came at Grêmio’s ground with different coaches and different available roles.
