Fabrício Bruno is in line for another chance to establish himself in Cruzeiro’s defence after João Marcelo suffered a knee injury against Atlético and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Bruno is expected to start alongside Jonathan Jesus against Bahia on Thursday as Cruzeiro enter the final stretch of the Brazilian league season.
Bruno lost his starting place to João Marcelo nine rounds ago. He has featured in five matches since then, including a start against Remo when João was suspended. Cruzeiro coach Artur Jorge currently has three centre-backs available, with Villalba being used at left-back and Jonathan Jesus a regular in central defence.
The opportunity comes during a difficult period for Bruno, who had been one of Cruzeiro’s key players for two years. After joining at the start of 2025 for around R$45 million, he became a regular under Leonardo Jardim and played four times for Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti.
Bruno remained a starter through the first nine months of 2026 and helped Cruzeiro win the state championship. He was also included in Ancelotti’s preliminary World Cup squad list, but was not selected again after the tournament.
Despite his recent spell on the bench, Bruno has played 50 matches this season, second only to Matheus Pereira, who has appeared 53 times.
Sources: Globo Esporte.