After fierce contest, Vojvoda picks Santos’ right-back starter

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·28 October 2025

After fierce contest, Vojvoda picks Santos’ right-back starter

The right flank of Santos seems to be set. After Mayke and Igor Vinícius alternated, coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda has started to favor the former São Paulo player.

Igor Vinícius was a starter in the last four matches for Peixe. The sequence began on October 5th, in the 3-0 defeat to Ceará, during the 27th round. He then remained in the team against Corinthians, Vitória, and Botafogo. In these matches, he was substituted in only one, against Vozão.

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Mayke, on the other hand, hasn't played since October 1st, when Santos drew 1-1 with Grêmio. On that occasion, he was booed by Peixe fans when he was substituted.

Since then, the right-back was not listed to face Ceará (due to knee inflammation) and remained on the bench against Corinthians, Vitória, and Botafogo. In other words, four games without playing.

Igor Vinícius vs. Mayke

Igor Vinícius

15 games (3 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses)
9 games as a starter
0 goals and 0 assists
4 yellow cards and 0 red cards

Mayke

8 games (3 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses)
7 games as a starter
0 goals and 0 assists
1 yellow card and 0 red cards

Ups and Downs

Despite not having any assists, Igor Vinícius was involved in Santos' first goal in the 2-2 draw with Botafogo last Sunday. The right-back delivered a low cross into the area, Newton tried to clear it, but kicked it onto Souza, and the ball went in.

Against Fogão, in fact, Igor played as a wing-back in the first half. Vojvoda lined up three defenders at Nilton Santos and gave the former São Paulo player more freedom to support the attack. While it was effective offensively, defensively the performance was not good. Both of the Cariocas' goals came from the right side of Santos' defense.

Thus, at halftime, the coach changed the formation back to a four-man line, with Igor Vinícius as the right-back.

Now, Santos will have a free week to prepare for the direct clash with Fortaleza. The match will be on Saturday, for the 31st round of the Brazilian Championship. The ball rolls at Vila Belmiro starting at 4 PM (Brasília time).

Next Santos Match

Santos vs. Fortaleza (31st round of the Brazilian Championship)
Date and time: November 1, 2025 (Saturday), at 4 PM (Brasília time)
Location: Vila Belmiro, in Santos (SP)

Standings Situation

Santos is in 16th place, now with 32 points, one more than Vitória, which is at the top of the relegation zone. Fortaleza is in 18th, with 27.

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