São Paulo host RB Bragantino at the Morumbi on 29 August 2026 in the 25th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, with the home side sitting 13th after 23 matches on 27 points and a goal difference of zero while the visitors are seventh on 35 points and plus five. São Paulo arrive having secured Copa Sudamericana progression with a 3-1 win over Bolívar (4-2 on aggregate) but their league form is another matter entirely: a 0-1 loss to Chapecoense on 23 August extended their winless run to five Série A games, the kind of sequence that starts to look ominous at this stage of the season. Bragantino arrive in better shape after a 1-0 win at Grêmio that same weekend and with seventh place and a Copa Libertadores qualifying spot to protect, a point away from home does them no good.
São Paulo's last five league outings read loss, draw, loss, draw, loss and the 0-1 defeat to Chapecoense came off the back of a midweek South American tie that left them little time to reset. Bragantino's run is slightly better at win, draw, loss, draw, draw, the narrow win at Grêmio showing Mancini's side can still take three points from away trips when they are not at their best.
Dorival Júnior, who took charge on 15 May 2026 following Roger Machado's exit, is managing a thin squad right now. Damián Bobadilla is out with a knee injury, Lucas Moura is sidelined by Achilles and rib problems and Rafael Tolói is unavailable with a hamstring issue, while Robert Arboleda is a doubt with an adductor complaint and Victor Sá carries an ankle concern, so the defensive and midfield options are thin going into this. Vagner Mancini has his own problems, with Davi Gomes ruled out by a cruciate ligament injury, Fernando missing with tonsillitis and a separate injury and Vanderlan absent with a knee problem.
São Paulo look to control midfield in possession but without Bobadilla and Moura that structure becomes harder to maintain, leaving Artur to carry more of the creative burden. Calleri and Luciano lead the line, though the back line is the bigger concern: Tolói is out and Arboleda may not start, which hands Bragantino an obvious target on the counter. Bragantino's game is built on quick transitions and set piece delivery and they have the personnel to make that work even in a depleted state. Isidro Pitta leads the line, Lucas Barbosa drives from midfield and Juninho Capixaba's overlapping runs from full back give Bragantino an extra body in wide areas going forward. If São Paulo lose the ball in advanced positions, Pitta's ability to exploit space behind a reshuffled back line is the biggest danger they face and Artur versus Barbosa is the midfield duel that probably decides it, whoever gets on top of that contest will dictate which way the game runs.
São Paulo have the better of this fixture historically, though this edition looks different from those given how many defensive pieces are missing on each side and how open both midfields are likely to be. Bragantino's set piece game becomes harder to defend when São Paulo are short of their first choice central pair and the uncertainty around Arboleda alongside Tolói's confirmed absence is exactly that scenario. São Paulo will look to use Calleri and Luciano as aerial targets at the other end, with Vanderlan's absence potentially causing problems for Bragantino's shape at corners.
A 3-3 draw feels like the right call, with São Paulo's structured build up likely to create chances through the channels Calleri and Luciano operate in but the home defence is short enough at the back that Bragantino are going to score. Pitta behind a reshuffled defence and Bragantino's set piece delivery without Tolói and possibly Arboleda are the two areas São Paulo most need to manage and with São Paulo needing a win they will inevitably leave space for Pitta to run at a reshuffled back four as the game goes on. With both centre back pairings disrupted and two of the first choice midfielders missing, the structure to hold a lead may simply not be there for either side. 3-3 is not as unlikely as it looks on paper.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
