Corinthians v Ponte Preta: aiming to extend Itaquera unbeaten run

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Central do Timão

·11. Januar 2026

Corinthians v Ponte Preta: aiming to extend Itaquera unbeaten run

By Daniel Keppler / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians begins its 2026 season this Sunday afternoon (11), at 4pm (Brasília time), hosting Ponte Preta at the Neo Química Arena for the first round of the Campeonato Paulista. With 31 state titles, the Alvinegro is the most successful club in the tournament’s history and is also the current champion, having defeated archrival Palmeiras in the 2025 final.

This will be the 13th season in the history of the Alvinegro stadium in Itaquera, inaugurated in May 2014, just before the FIFA World Cup. The team usually performs well when playing its first home match of the year, boasting an unbeaten streak that has lasted eight years. Moreover, in the last three years, Timão has won its first official home game of the year.

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Photo: Reproduction/Corinthians

In total, over the past 12 years, Corinthians has recorded six wins, three draws, and three losses in its first official matches at Itaquera, scoring 17 goals and conceding nine—a 58.3% point success rate. In the last three years, however, the team has shown much better numbers, winning all three home openers: against Água Santa in 2023, Guarani in 2024, and Velo Clube in 2025.

Check out all of Corinthians’ season debuts at Neo Química Arena since 2014, counting only official matches:

5/18/2014: Corinthians 0 x 1 Figueirense (Brasileirão)2/1/2015: Corinthians 3 x 0 Marília (Campeonato Paulista)1/31/2016: Corinthians 1 x 0 XV de Piracicaba (Campeonato Paulista)2/11/2017: Corinthians 0 x 2 Santo André (Campeonato Paulista)2/14/2018: Corinthians 0 x 1 São Bento (Campeonato Paulista)1/20/2019: Corinthians 1 x 1 São Caetano (Campeonato Paulista)1/23/2020: Corinthians 4 x 1 Botafogo (Campeonato Paulista)3/3/2021: Corinthians 2 x 2 Palmeiras (Campeonato Paulista)1/25/2022: Corinthians 0 x 0 Ferroviária (Campeonato Paulista)1/18/2023: Corinthians 3 x 0 Água Santa (Campeonato Paulista)1/21/2024: Corinthians 1 x 0 Guarani (Campeonato Paulista)1/19/2025: Corinthians 2 x 1 Velo Clube (Campeonato Paulista)