São Paulo line-up: Crespo changes tactics, Luiz Gustavo starts | OneFootball

São Paulo’s lineup is set for this Thursday’s clash with Fortaleza, at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Arena Castelão, for the 26th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro. The big news is Luiz Gustavo, who returns to play an official match after six months due to a pulmonary thromboembolism.

Against Fortaleza, coach Hernán Crespo has abandoned the three-center-back formation due to a lack of options in the sector. This Thursday, São Paulo will be without Arboleda, suspended for accumulation of yellow cards, Rafael Tolói, who suffered an injury to the back of his left thigh, and Alan Franco, who has muscle overload in the front of his right thigh.

In addition to the trio of center-backs, Tricolor’s list of absentees includes Calleri (left knee surgery), Ryan (left knee surgery), André Silva (posterior cruciate ligament injury and anterior cruciate ligament strain in the right knee), Luan (right adductor injury), and Ferraresi (left adductor injury).

The complete São Paulo lineup to face Fortaleza features Rafael; Cédric Soares, Negrucci, Sabino, and Wendell; Luiz Gustavo, Pablo Maia, Bobadilla, and Rodriguinho; Rigoni and Tapia.

Oscar, recovered from a fracture in three lumbar vertebrae, has been named in the squad for the first time since July. The midfielder hasn’t played for almost three months. Another new addition is Marcos Antônio, who had been out due to discomfort in the rectus femoris muscle of his right leg.

São Paulo takes the field with the mission of ending an uncomfortable streak of four consecutive defeats this season, including the loss to LDU that resulted in elimination from the Libertadores.

The pressure on the Tricolor squad is even greater because Thursday’s opponent is the second-to-last in the Campeonato Brasileiro standings. Fortaleza is ahead of only Sport in the competition table, and a victory over São Paulo would plunge the rival even deeper into crisis.

São Paulo started the round in seventh place and has only the Campeonato Brasileiro left to play for until the end of the season. With no hope of a title, Tricolor’s goal will be to qualify for the next edition of the Copa Libertadores, and for that, they need to finish among the top six.

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