Internacional vs Palmeiras Prediction: Carbonero to cause Khellven card

After picking up just a single point from their first two games of the 2026 Brazilian Serie A season, Internacional will be looking to claim their first victory on Friday (00:30 GMT), but it won’t be a straightforward task as 2025 runners-up Palmeiras provide the opposition at the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda.

Below are my Internacional vs Palmeiras predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of league action from Porto Alegre.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Team News

Benjamin Arhin (unspecified) appears to be the only injury absentee for Paulo Pezzolano's Internacional.

Football Odds

Paulinho (leg) and Felipe Anderson (unspecified) are set to sit this one out for Abel Ferreira's Palmeiras due to injury.

It remains to be seen whether new signing Jhon Arias, who has made a big-money move back to Brazil following a failed spell in England with Wolverhampton Wanderers, makes his Verdao debut on Friday.

Internacional vs Palmeiras Odds

Internacional are 2/1 underdogs, Palmeiras, who won both head-to-heads last season, are 13/10 favourites, implying a 43.5% probability of success, while the draw is offered at 11/5.

Vitor Roque To Score The First Goal has been boosted from 9/2 to 11/2.

Player to Receive a Card - Khellven Oliveira (PAL) @ 16/5

Palmeiras right-back Khellven only picked up one yellow card in 13 Serie A appearances (12 starts) last season, but he averaged two fouls per game, something he has kept up in 2026, with a single offence against Atletico Mineiro followed up by three against Vitoria.

The 24-year-old hasn’t been booked yet in Serie A this season, but he’s been booked twice in five Paulista outings, and on Thursday, he could come up against Internacional winger Johan Carbonero, who averaged 2.6 fouls won per game in 2025, despite eight of his 23 league appearances coming as a substitute.

Today's Football Fixtures

The Colombian has already attracted a yellow-card challenge from Athletico Paranaense’s Camilo Portilla this term, and in the reverse fixture last season, won 4-1 by Palmeiras in September, Paraguayan defender Gustavo Gomez was booked for taking him down in the 16th minute.

Gomez, who was shown a card in both head-to-heads last year, is a viable candidate to be booked at 7/4, but as a more direct opponent to Carbonero, and at longer odds, I fancy Khelven to be carded.

Match Result - Palmeiras @ 13/10

Palmeiras scraped a 1-0 win in Porto Alegre last April before easing past Internacional 4-1 in Sao Paulo just under five months later, en route to a second-place finish that saw the Verdao miss out on the title by three points.

Down in 16th, just a point and a place above the relegation zone, were Internacional, who began the new campaign with a 1-0 home loss to newly-promoted Athletico Paranaense.

A 1-1 draw at reigning champions Flamengo was more like it last week, but can Colorado handle the pressure on home soil?

Well, they’ve won just one of their last six league games at the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda (D4, L1), and Palmeiras, who triumphed 1-0 at Corinthians in the Paulista last weekend, are primed to take advantage on Thursday.