Brasileirão: Corinthians call up Under-20 starter for Flamengo at Maracanã | OneFootball

Corinthians visit Flamengo on Sunday afternoon (13) at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Maracanã Stadium, in a match valid for the 27th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. The club from Parque São Jorge currently sits in 12th place in the national competition with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws, and 10 losses — with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded, and comes into the match on a run of four straight defeats in the tournament.

With André Ramalho still recovering from labyrinthitis and with the second leg of the Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals approaching, scheduled for next Wednesday (16) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in Itaquera, Corinthians have called up center-back Yago Melo from the Under-20 squad for the match against the Rio de Janeiro side.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

The information was first reported by Itatiaia. It is worth remembering that head coach Fernando Diniz is expected to field an alternative lineup for the match. Gabriel Paulista and Gustavo Henrique, the starting center-back pair, are expected to be rested, and youngster Iago Machado, born in 2009, could make his professional debut for Timão.

Yago Melo joined Corinthians after the 2026 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, arriving on a free transfer from Flamengo. The defender wore the Rubro-Negro shirt for eight seasons, between 2017 and 2025, captaining the Under-15 and Under-17 teams and taking part in the club’s Copa Rio Under-17 titles (2023 and 2024). The youngster signed a contract with Alvinegro, which retained 80% of his economic rights, through December 2029. The Rio club kept the remaining share.

Last year, when he was promoted to the Under-20 team, Yago ended up losing space in Flamengo’s youth setup and played only 13 matches, scoring two goals. Since arriving at Corinthians, he has found the net twice in 121 matches. The center-back earned a starting spot for Timãozinho, coached by William Batista, over the course of the season, taking the place of Lorenzo, whose contract expires at the end of August and whose future at Timão remains uncertain.

In the final round of the 2025 Brazilian Championship, while he still belonged to Flamengo, he was included in head coach Filipe Luís’ squad for the 3-3 draw against Mirassol at Estádio Maião, in the interior of São Paulo state. At that time, the Rio side was preparing to travel for the Club World Cup in the second week of December.

A lifelong Corinthians supporter, Yago Melo made a point of showing that his passion for Corinthians dates back to childhood. When he was officially announced by the club from Parque São Jorge, he posted photos from when he was still a child alongside his father watching Alvinegro matches from the stands of Neo Química Arena. This year, he has also already been to the Gaviões da Fiel headquarters in Bom Retiro to watch one of the team’s matches.

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