Santos v Corinthians: Neymar and Memphis meet again in Brazil | OneFootball

The classic match between Santos and Corinthians this Sunday, for the sixth round of the Brazilian Championship, marks the reunion of two friends off the field: Neymar Jr. and Memphis Depay. This will be only the second time the stars face each other on Brazilian soil. The match kicks off at 4 PM (Brasília time) at Vila Belmiro.

The two first faced off in February 2025, shortly after Neymar's return to Peixe. On that occasion, Memphis came out on top and helped Timão defeat their rival 2-1 at Neo Química Arena, in a match valid for the Paulistão.

(Photo: Mauro Horita/Gazeta Press)

Since then, Santos and Corinthians have faced each other four more times. However, none of these matches featured both players on the field.

Neymar missed two of the four classics for Alvinegro Praiano. In one of them, valid for the 2025 State Championship semifinal, he was not physically fit and watched Peixe be eliminated by the rival from the bench. In the last one, earlier this year, he was in a physical reconditioning process after undergoing knee surgery. In the other two, he was injured.

Memphis, on the other hand, only missed the last encounter between the teams. The Dutchman had a slightly longer pre-season due to playing through injury at the end of the last season and was not yet available to Dorival Júnior at the time.

Record of Neymar vs Memphis

The record between Neymar and Memphis is favorable to the Brazilian star. They have faced each other six times, five of which were for Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, respectively. The Santos number 10 has two victories, against only two for the Dutchman.

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Friendship off the field

The players maintain a long-standing friendship off the field. In Brazil, they have attended events together and exchanged pleasantries on social media on several occasions.

They also exchanged jerseys after the only classic played between the teams with both on the field. In 2025, Neymar also mimicked Memphis's celebration in a Santos victory.

Tense Classic

The clash between Santos and Corinthians promises to be filled with tension. Both teams are under pressure from their fans due to their poor form.

For Peixe, the game will carry extra weight for Juan Pablo Vojvoda. The coach's future with the team depends on a good performance and a positive result at Vila Belmiro. Alvinegro Praiano is in 14th place in the Brasileirão standings, with five points.

Meanwhile, Corinthians had a turbulent week. Without a win in four matches, Timão faced protests after losing to Coritiba at Neo Química Arena and received demands from organized fans at the Dr. Joaquim Grava training center throughout the week. The team is in tenth place in Serie A, with seven points.

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