Lucas back in form at São Paulo, eyes strong season finish | OneFootball

The forward Lucas Moura has gone through difficult situations throughout this season, but has finally managed to string together a significant run of games for São Paulo. Having recovered from a right knee injury, the player is still seeking his best form to finish the season on a high note.

The number 7 had a good start to the year for Tricolor. As one of the main attacking references, he was an important part of the team during the Campeonato Paulista, scoring three goals and providing one assist. However, against Palmeiras, the player suffered a strain in the posterior capsule of his right knee.

The injury led to a ‘back and forth’ throughout the season. Lucas returned to the pitch at the beginning of May and was cleared to play again. However, the forward played two matches and had to stop due to ongoing pain. Thus, he returned to the club’s medical department.

In July, Lucas underwent a procedure on his right knee. The same situation, however, repeated itself in mid-August, when the player featured in four matches (Atlético Nacional twice, Vitória, and Sport) and was unable to maintain a longer run with São Paulo.

(Photo: Rubens Chiri/Saopaulofc.net)

At the end of August, then, the number 7 underwent an arthroscopy on his right knee – a minimally invasive procedure – in the hope of finally fixing the problem. The player had fibrosis removed from the area and continued his treatment, returning to the pitch only on September 25, against LDU-EQU.

After that, Lucas came on at halftime during the 1-0 loss to Ceará, but was rested by Crespo for the match against Fortaleza. From then on, the forward featured in every São Paulo game in sequence and has already accumulated seven consecutive appearances in this final stretch of the year, matching his longest run of the season.

Lucas played against Palmeiras, Grêmio, Mirassol, Bahia, Vasco, Flamengo, and Red Bull Bragantino. Of these, he started in four and found the net once – scoring a penalty in the 2-0 win over Cruzmaltino at São Januário.

Earlier in the year, the number 7 also put together a run of seven consecutive games, facing Inter de Limeira, Velo Clube, Palmeiras, Ponte Preta, São Bernardo, Novorizontino, and Palmeiras again. All matches were part of the Paulistão.

São Paulo still has five more games before the end of the season, one of them against Corinthians, one of Lucas’s favorite rivals. If he plays in at least one more match, the forward could achieve his longest streak of consecutive appearances this season.

Lucas’s numbers this season

Upcoming São Paulo matches

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