Santos plan Neymar’s return as starter against Velo Clube | OneFootball

By Tiago Salazar

Santos is working to have Neymar available on Sunday against Velo Clube, for the eighth round of the Campeonato Paulista. The technical staff's expectation is to start the attacking midfielder at Vila Belmiro, at 8:30 PM (Brasília time).

The number 10 hasn't played since December 7, 2025, when Santos defeated Cruzeiro in the last round of the Brasileirão. On that occasion, the star played the final stretch of the championship despite an injury, and on December 22, he underwent arthroscopy on his left knee to correct a medial meniscus injury.

After the procedure, Neymar began physiotherapy sessions and muscle strengthening in the gym. On January 26, he advanced to physical transition on the field and, by early February, started training with the ball alongside the squad.

Currently, the player is training normally. There was even a possibility for him to debut against Noroeste last Sunday, but the technical staff opted for caution, prioritizing the athlete being closer to his ideal physical condition.

This Thursday, Neymar will remain out. The match against Athletico-PR will be at Arena da Baixada, which has a synthetic pitch — a type of field the forward has repeatedly stated he is uncomfortable playing on.

Therefore, the tendency is for his return to happen against Velo Clube, with Neymar already among Juan Pablo Vojvoda's starters.

The match is crucial for Santos, which is fighting for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Paulistão. Currently, Peixe is in 10th place, with nine points, one less than São Paulo, the first team within the qualifying zone.

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