Abel Ferreira explains Palmeiras line-up changes vs LDU, see why

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Nosso Palestra

·24. Oktober 2025

Abel Ferreira explains Palmeiras line-up changes vs LDU, see why

Palmeiras was defeated by LDU (EQU) 3-0 on Thursday night (23rd) in Quito, Ecuador, and started at a disadvantage in the Libertadores semifinal. Villamil, twice, and Alzugaray, all in the first half, sealed the rout.

With this result, Verdão needs to win by four goals in the return match at Allianz Parque to qualify for the final. A win by three goals would take the decision to penalties.

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Lineup Changes

Palmeiras fans finally thought that Abel Ferreira had found the ideal team for the rest of the season, but the coach made three changes for the decisive match against LDU in Quito, in the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal.

In the match against Flamengo last Sunday (19th), the team took the field with the following lineup: Carlos Miguel; Khellven, Gómez, Fuchs, and Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno, Andreas Pereira, Felipe Anderson, and Maurício; Vitor Roque and Flaco.

In the match against the Ecuadorians this Thursday (23rd), the Portuguese coach put Murilo in place of Bruno Fuchs, Emiliano Martínez in place of Aníbal Moreno, and Raphael Veiga in Maurício's spot.

Explained

In the press conference after Palmeiras' defeat, the coach explained what motivated the changes to the team that had performed well against Flamengo at Maracanã.

We didn't compete at all. Aníbal is injured — he's on the bench, but he's injured. I couldn't use him today. Veiga's mission was to block number 33. Emiliano's mission was to follow the player who scored two goals, and Murilo's, since it was a more physical game, was to use that ability. Our opponent had three players in midfield and we wanted to press in the midfield line. In my opinion, there's something I warned them about — they compete a lot and are very strong at home. In the first half, we weren't aggressive or intense.

What now?

With this result, Verdão needs to win by four goals in the return match at Allianz Parque to qualify for the final. A win by three goals would take the decision to penalties. The second leg takes place next Thursday (30th) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Allianz Parque.

Before that, Verdão will take the field on Sunday (26th) at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) to face Cruzeiro in the Brazilian Championship. The Palestra team is the leader of the national competition.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.