Abel Ferreira marks five years at Palmeiras, faces major Libertadores test | OneFootball

The coach Abel Ferreira celebrates five years with Palmeiras this Thursday. As the club's ultimate idol, the Portuguese coach faces, on this October 30, 2025, what could possibly be his greatest challenge since joining the green and white team.

Abel Ferreira was announced as the new coach of Palmeiras exactly five years ago, on October 30, 2020. Fate had it that, after winning almost every possible title, the Portuguese would complete five years at the club on the stage that crowned him twice: the Copa Libertadores da América.

This Thursday, Palmeiras will face one of its biggest challenges in the 'Abel Ferreira Era'. The Verdão needs a historic comeback against LDU to advance to the Libertadores final and will have the support of the fans at Allianz Parque. More than 35,000 tickets have already been sold.

The Alviverde suffered a hard blow in the first leg in Quito and was dominated by LDU, losing 3-0. Abel Ferreira's team, therefore, needs a 4-0 win to reach the final in regular time. A tie on aggregate would take the decision to penalties.

The Portuguese coach is aware of the tough challenge ahead, but he has shown confidence in a Palmeiras comeback, which would be unprecedented in the Libertadores. The coach called on the fans to fill the stadium and asked them to prepare for a “magical night”, stating that “90 minutes at Allianz is a long time.”

The coach will need to lead Palmeiras to an unprecedented comeback in the Libertadores. The green and white team has already achieved comebacks in three Campeonato Paulista finals, winning in 2022, 2023, and 2024, against São Paulo, Água Santa, and Santos. However, this has never happened in the continental tournament in the 'Abel Ferreira Era'.

Abel Ferreira's Journey at Palmeiras

Abel Ferreira joined Palmeiras to take over after coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo's departure. Before signing with Verdão, Abel was at PAOK, Greece, and also had stints at Sporting and Braga, both in Portugal.

The Portuguese is the longest-serving coach in Palmeiras' history and among the coaches of the 20 clubs in the Brazilian Championship Serie A. The coach and his technical staff have accumulated 385 games, with 224 wins, 91 draws, 70 losses, and an impressive ten titles.

During his five years at Palmeiras, Abel helped the team win the following trophies: three Campeonato Paulista titles (2022, 2023, and 2024), two Libertadores (2020 and 2021), two Brazilian Championships (2022 and 2023), one Copa do Brasil (2020), one Recopa Sudamericana (2022), and one Supercopa do Brasil (2023).

Alongside Oswaldo Brandão, Abel is the coach with the most titles in Palmeiras' history, as well as the coach with the most finals. So far, the coach has reached 13 finals with Verdão and is seeking a comeback against LDU to reach the 14th.

One of the most spoken mottos by Abel Ferreira during his time at Palmeiras is the famous “cool head, warm heart,” something the team will certainly carry with them in this Thursday's decision. The match kicks off at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at Allianz Parque.

See more: Abel believes in Palmeiras' comeback in the Libertadores and calls on fans: “Prepare for a magical night”

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