Corinthians in Argentina early for Estudiantes Libertadores quarter-final | OneFootball

On the evening of this Monday (7), after returning to training at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava this morning following the defeat to Chapecoense in Itaquera, Corinthians landed in Argentina for the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals against Estudiantes. The teams will face off on Wednesday night (9), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, at Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium.

Upon arrival on Argentine soil, the Corinthians coaching staff was without the following players: center-back André Ramalho (partial work with the group after a bout of vertigo), defensive midfielders Raniele (suspended) and André Luiz (still recovering from a grade 2 injury to the back of his right thigh), midfielders Vitinho (in physical transition, in the final stage of recovery from surgery on the meniscus in his left knee) and Zakaria Labyad (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee), as well as forwards Kayke Ferrari (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee) and Yuri Alberto (still being treated for a grade 2 injury to the back of his right thigh; he is also out for the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals against Estudiantes).

Photo: (EFE/ Sebastiao Moreira)

It is worth noting that Corinthians come into the match in poor form this season. The club from Parque São Jorge has lost its last four matches in the 2026 Brazilian Championship. The first of them came on August 16, a 2-1 defeat to Cruzeiro in Itaquera in the 23rd round. A week later, they traveled to Couto Pereira to face Coritiba and were beaten by the same scoreline in the 24th round.

On August 30, in the 25th round, they faced Santos FC at Neo Química Arena and lost 1-0. Finally, last Sunday (6), they lost at home to Chapecoense, the bottom team in Série A, by 2-1 after coming from behind. At the moment, Timão sits only in 11th place with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws, and 10 losses — closer to the relegation zone than to the G5, the spots that qualify for the 2027 Libertadores qualifying rounds.

Throughout this Tuesday (8), Fernando Diniz’s squad will hold their final training session before the match at Defensa y Justicia’s training center in Argentina.

Conmebol Libertadores campaign and prize money earned

In the group stage, Alvinegro advanced as leaders of Group E with 11 points — three wins, two draws, and one loss — scoring eight goals and conceding nine. Timão’s group included Platense-ARG, Peñarol-URU, and Santa Fé-COL. In the round of 16, meanwhile, they eliminated Rosario Central-ARG. The first match in Buenos Aires ended goalless. In the return leg at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians won 1-0.

For their performance in the international competition, Corinthians has already earned R$ 25.9 million. Of that total, R$ 16.9 million came from the group-stage campaign, while the remainder refers to qualification for the quarterfinals.

Opponent’s performance

Estudiantes finished second in Group A with nine points — two wins, three draws, and one loss. Group leaders Flamengo, the top seed and defending champions, had 16 points. In the round of 16, they knocked out Universidad Católica of Chile by a 4-1 aggregate score. In the first match, on Argentine soil, the teams drew 1-1. In the return leg, they won 3-0.

Check out below Corinthians’ squad list to face Estudiantes-ARG in the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza, Kauê Camargo and Felipe Longo;Full-backs: Matheuzinho, Matheus Bidu, Pedro Milans, Hugo and Fabrizio Angileri;Center-backs: Gabriel Paulista, Gustavo Henrique, João Pedro Tchoca and Iago Machado;Midfielders: Allan, Breno Bidon, Rodrigo Garro, André Carrillo, Alex Santana, Charles, Matheus Pereira, Jesse Lingard and Dieguinho;Forwards: Memphis Depay, Kaio César, Gui Negão and Pedro Raul.

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