Choque-Rei: Palmeiras hold recent edge, last meeting marred by controversy | OneFootball

Palmeiras and São Paulo meet for the first time in the 2026 season this Saturday (24th) at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Arena Barueri. The last encounter between the teams, in October, for the Brazilian Championship, was filled with controversies: an unawarded penalty, fouls, and complaints. Remember:

Palmeiras’ 3-2 comeback victory over São Paulo was accompanied by a series of disputed plays and many complaints regarding the refereeing of Ramon Abatti Abel throughout the derby.

Even with the positive result, Palmeiras also left the field dissatisfied with a refereeing decision: allowing Bobadilla to remain on the pitch at the start of the second half. For the Verdão, the player could have been sent off minutes before the plays that generated more intense protests from the rival.

On the tricolor side, the main complaint was the non-award of a possible penalty by Allan on Gonzalo Tapia, seven minutes into the second half. In the play, Cédric Soares advanced down the right and found Luciano, who entered the box and tried to pass to Tapia. The ball went past the Chilean striker, who ended up being brought down by Allan in the sequence, without the foul being called.

Shortly after, in the tenth minute, Andreas Pereira received a yellow card after a tougher challenge on Marcos Antônio. Three minutes later, Tapia was once again involved in a controversial incident: in a clash with Gustavo Gómez, the striker came off worse, ended up with a bleeding nose, and sparked a new wave of complaints from São Paulo. The club even made an official statement, classifying the episode as unpunished aggression.

At 24 minutes into the second half, Palmeiras scored their first goal. In a quick play down the left, after an exchange of passes, Vitor Roque appeared in the box to head the ball and reduce the deficit. São Paulo, however, pointed out an irregularity at the start of the play, claiming an uncalled foul by Gustavo Gómez on Tapia, who was left on the ground before the play continued.

Recent Favorable Record

Palmeiras is unbeaten in nine matches against São Paulo (five wins and four draws since their last defeat, in July 2023), the second-best streak ever recorded by the club in the history of the rivalry, alongside the one achieved between July 1975 and March 1977 (four wins and five draws). The only time Verdão reached 10 consecutive matches without losing to their rival was between August 2017 and January 2020, with six wins and four draws.

With three consecutive victories in the Choque-Rei (1-0 in the 2025 Paulista Championship semifinal at Allianz Parque, 1-0 in the first round of the 2025 Brazilian Championship at Arena Barueri, and 3-2 in the second round at Morumbis), the Palmeiras team boasts the best positive streak in the rivalry since five straight wins between August 2017 and March 2019.

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