Rested, Lucas to miss São Paulo’s Choque-Rei clash, Calleri included | OneFootball

By Marina Bufon and Thais Bueno

The attacking midfielder Lucas Moura will be a confirmed absence for São Paulo in the classic match against Palmeiras this Saturday, in the Paulista Championship. The decision was made by the coaching staff, in agreement with the player, due to the synthetic turf at Arena Barueri, the venue for the Choque-Rei.

Since returning to São Paulo in 2023, Lucas has faced Palmeiras away from home on four occasions, either at Arena Barueri or Allianz Parque. In only two of these encounters did the forward not suffer an injury while playing on synthetic turf. It is worth noting that on these two occasions, the player only entered during the match, coming off the bench.

In the other two matches, Lucas ended up suffering different injuries. In the 5-0 thrashing in the 2023 Brasileirão, he felt pain in the back of his left thigh. Two years later, in the Paulista semifinal, he suffered a trauma to his right knee.

Since then, Lucas Moura has become one of the main figures in the movement against the use of synthetic pitches. Besides the São Paulo forward, players like Neymar, Gabigol, Coutinho, and Alan Patrick have also publicly criticized this type of surface.

Lucas has a recent history of knee problems

Lucas Moura returned to the field for São Paulo in 2026 after a season marked by problems with his right knee. The forward had to undergo several medical procedures over the past year, including an arthroscopy (a less invasive surgery) and medicinal infiltrations.

Last season, as a preventive measure, the player was even rested in matches played on synthetic pitches. In the classic against Palmeiras in Barueri, during the group stage of the 2025 Paulista, he only came on in the second half. In the semifinal at Allianz Parque, he started — a match in which he again felt knee pain.

Not everything is bad

Despite Lucas's absence, São Paulo has good news for the Choque-Rei. The forward Jonathan Calleri, who started in the team's last three games, is listed for the classic against Palmeiras.

After recovering from a serious injury, the Argentinian is experiencing his first run as a starter since returning to the field. In the last match, against Portuguesa, Calleri scored two goals and was one of the team's highlights.

Upcoming São Paulo matches

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