Why Internacional’s Brazil Serie A Top Four price is gold

Roger Machado’s Internacional are odds-against to finish in the top four but our expert Nathan Joyes believes they can pick off their rivals and even challenge for the title.

Internacional are one of the teams competing to finish in the top six come the end of the season but their current price to finish higher is enticing. Find out why below:

Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Stability will take Internacional far

Four managers have been sacked within the first five rounds in Brazil. This isn’t out of the norm, either, but while teams are looking to rebuild already, Internacional have a man in charge who is settled – and has his squad performing well in the early stages of the season.

Roger Machado was appointed in July 2024 and has performed miracles with his team. With a win ratio of 55% after 44 matches in all competitions, Internacional are now one of the more competitive sides in Brazil.

Of course, Flamengo and Palmeiras are the two teams expected to win the title, but instead of backing either of those to come out on top, it makes much more sense to back Internacional to finish in the top four at 2.25.

The club has a head coach in charge adored by both the fans and players – and it’s showing on the pitch. They’ve lost just one of their last 19 competitive matches (a 1-0 defeat against Palmeiras), and a similar run took them out of the relegation zone and into a 5th placed finish last season.

The main reason why Internacional didn’t challenge for the title last campaign was due to the horrific floods that occurred in the south of Brazil. Their stadium and training ground were underwater – and it heavily impacted their first few months of the season.

Yet under Machado, they rallied, went on a 17 match unbeaten run and at one point, looked competitive to challenge Botafogo for the title. Having kept the vast majority of their squad together, Internacional look the real deal, and a top four finish at 2.25 is far too good to ignore.

Key players to win key points

A spine of talent that runs throughout the team is why they have rarely gone through a bad spell under Machado. At present, Anthoni has stepped in while Uruguay no.1 Sergio Rochet is out with a broken hand, but the 23-year-old is no weak link.

In front of him you’ll find left-back Alexandro Bernabei, who has joined on a permanent deal from Celtic having made the Brazil Serie A team of the year. The Argentine plays alongside Vitao, who has Champions League experience with Shakhtar, and is one of the best centre-backs in the league.

Operating in the middle of the park is where you’ll find their captain, Alan Patrick, who has already scored a hattrick in the Copa Libertadores. The no.10 is one of the best technicians in the country, and if he was a year or two younger, he’d be knocking on the door to play for the national team.

Up front, Internacional are spoilt for choice between two top no.9s. Machado has the choice of Ecuador’s captain Enner Valencia or Colombia’s forward Rafael Borre – both top class strikers for this level.

With the sheer amount of talent and experience within the squad, Internacional have big game players, capable of winning key points that will keep them competitive throughout the season. If Internacional don’t win anything with this squad, it will no doubt be a huge disappointment.

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