Guarulhos and SESI meet in critical match in the Superliga playoff race

Fighting neck and neck for a spot in the 2025-2026 Brazilian Men's Superliga playoffs, Vôlei Guarulhos Bateubet and SESI Bauru will star in the most consequential match of the tenth leg of the second round of the regular season this weekend.

Ranked eighth and ninth, the teams are ready to battle on Saturday, at 18:30 local time (21:30 UTC), in Guarulhos, and the outcome of their match could settle the race for the playoffs, which currently has five teams competing for four spots.

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The home team in the match that will open the tenth leg, Guarulhos are currently inside the qualification zone for the playoffs, appearing in eighth place with 28 points. SESI come right next, in ninth place, with 26. Fifth-placed Saneago Goiás Vôlei (30), sixth-placed Suzano Vôlei (29) and seventh-placed Azulim Sicoob Aracoop Monte Carmelo (29) are the other teams still looking to book their tickets for the postseason.

The scenario for Guarulhos is pretty clear - if they manage to beat SESI by any score, they will create enough separation from them to secure a spot in the playoffs in advance.

Coming from four victories in their last six matches, Guarulhos count on the great form of opposite Bryan Silva, the Superliga's top scorer with 395 points, to get the result they need against SESI and make it to the playoffs for a fourth-straight season.

Coming from five losses in their last seven matches, SESI may have on Saturday their last opportunity to make a push for the playoffs in the Superliga. If they don't earn any points in Guarulhos, their chances of making it to the postseason would, at the very least, become very limited - they would most likely be eliminated.

SESI's blocking power will be instrumental if they want to stop Bryan and slow down Guarulhos' offense on Saturday. For that, they count on middle blockers Lucas Barreto, who leads the Superliga in blocks with 74, and Thiery Nascimento, who's third with 46.

The teams featured in an exciting match in the first round of the regular season, which had SESI triumphing in the tie-breaker. They also came out on top in four of the last five duels.

Goiás play Suzano on Monday

Another duel involving two teams fighting for playoff qualification will take place on Monday, with Goiás hosting Suzano at 21:00 (00:00 UTC, Tuesday). For both teams, taking all three points in the match will mean securing a spot in the postseason regardless of other results - Goiás also advance with a five-set victory.

Another match will take place on Saturday, with 12th-placed and already relegated JF Vôlei hosting second-placed Vôlei Renata Campinas at 21:00 (00:00 UTC, Sunday).

Brazilian Men’s Superliga – Match Schedule & Results

The three remaining matches are scheduled for Sunday. The day starts at 17:00 (20:00 UTC), with 11th-placed Viapol Vôlei São José facing fourth-placed Itambé Minas, continues at 18:30 (21:30 UTC) with seventh-placed Monte Carmelo playing fourth-placed Praia Clube and ends at 19:30 (22:30 UTC) with tenth-placed Joinville Vôlei meeting league leaders Sada Cruzeiro.

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