Heated Rivalry Opens Tonight’s Matchups.

By: Mauro | August 13th, 2008

Sport Club Internacional vs. Gremio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil)

LIVE @ 5:30pm PST on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

Tonight’s first match is not just another Wednesday night Copa Sudamericana match. One of the most heated rivalries in Brazil will take place in the south of Brazil in Porto Alegre in the first round of this continental championship.

Like every good rivalry, the Gre-Nal rivalry is deeply rooted in complex familial, cultural and socio-demographic factors. What sparked this rivalry mainly was that Gremio was founded by German transplants and did not allow non-Germans. Conversely, (no surprise here) Inter was founded by Italian, Portuguese and Spanish immigrants and was the first of the two clubs to field black and mixed players.

The city of Porto Alegre is divided between those that follow the sky blue and black and those that are true to the red and white. Since Inter experienced great successes in the 1970s, they earned many new fans of that generation. Gremio’s greatest periods of success was in the 1980’s and 1990s, so the kids of those generations have become Gremio supporters and leveled the fan base of both clubs.

This past summer Inter was able to make two really important signings. The first was Brazil international and midfielder Daniel Carvalho who was playing at CSKA Moscow in Russia. Read a little more about him here. And the second player they signed was Argentine playmaker Andrés D’Allesandro who was playing with San Lorenzo in Argentina. Check out more info on that here.

Look for these two to pair up in midfield, possibly with Pablo Guiñazu as well, and look for them to find Nilmar, Gil and/or Guto or Adriano. Inter are in 10th place with 26 points in the Brasileirao, 15 points off Gremio’s pace who are in first place with 41 points.

Gremio have also made a few moves in the transfer market as well, picking up Uruguayan midfielder, Sergio Orteman. Read a bit more about him here. Meanwhile, rumor has it that they are also looking to secure the services of Argentine striker Claudio Bieler of Copa Libertadores Champions, Liga de Quito, but that was late last month and nothing has come of it since then.

Gremio was also the beneficiary of some money with the Ronaldinho transfer. Check out how that worked out here.

With the new signing, look for Orteman to link up with Colombian striker Edixon Perea, who is the team’s leading goal scorer, should he get some time on the pitch. Gremio are at the top of the Brasileirao table and would probably prefer a Brasileirao title vs. a Copa Sudamericana title, I highly doubt that they’ll field their first string side, especially after São Paulo did the same last night, ahead of their clash at the weekend.

Bottom Line: It really depends on if tonight’s teams field their starting line ups. I could see Inter making a play to field their very best and let’s not forget that this match will be played in Inter’s stadium. I could also understand Gremio saving their best for Sunday’s return to Brasileirao action and giving the youngsters at the club their first taste of a full fledged Gre-Nal match.

My Pick: 1-1. Inter are still trying to gel together as a team and won’t find the harmony necessary to play well and score more than one. Gremio’s great form will allow even their second string squad to play well enough to score one goal and hold off their eternal rivals.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get one here.