Corinthians medical chief gives update on injured duo | OneFootball

On the afternoon of this Friday (25), Corinthians’ head of the medical department, Dr. Ricardo Galotti, gave a brief interview to the club’s media channels and stated that forward Yuri Alberto is expected to return to the pitch on next Wednesday, October 7. On that date, Timão will visit Internacional at Beira-Rio Stadium at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) for the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship.

“He is recovering from a fibrous tissue rupture in the back of the thigh. He has been out for 28 days, is clinically pain-free, and is doing transition work. The intention is for him to be on the field against Internacional,” the professional said.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

The No. 9 had his medical status updated by Corinthians this afternoon — he began partial work with the rest of the squad on the day the team returned to CT Dr. Joaquim Grava after receiving four days off due to the FIFA international break, following the 3-1 loss to Fluminense last Sunday (28) in Itaquera, in the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship.

In August, the center-forward had already begun physical transition work but suffered a setback in the treatment of the injury, and as a result missed Timão’s Copa do Brasil round-of-16 tie against Internacional, as well as the round-of-16 and quarterfinal matches of the Conmebol Libertadores against Rosario Central-ARG and Estudiantes-ARG, respectively.

Yuri Alberto has not played since July 30 after suffering a grade 2 injury to the hamstring of his right thigh. On that occasion, the No. 9 played 33 minutes in a scoreless draw against Athletico-PR in Itaquera, in the 21st round of the national tournament. He had come on for Dieguinho at halftime and was substituted shortly afterward by Rodrigo Garro. Even while sidelined, he remains Timão’s top scorer this season with eight goals in 33 matches.

Another player whose situation was updated by the medical department was center-back Gabriel Paulista, who is currently recovering from a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. The No. 3 carried out work with the physiotherapy department on one of the pitches at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava. Ricardo Galotti commented that there is also a possibility that the 35-year-old defender could return for the match against the team from Rio Grande do Sul after the break.

“He had a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Clinically, he is improving and doing physiotherapy work on the field. We also believe he could be on the field against Internacional,” he said.

Gabriel Paulista was a last-minute absence from last weekend’s match against Fluminense in Itaquera in the Brazilian Championship. In addition to the players mentioned, others still recovering from injury are: center-back André Ramalho (partial work with the group after a bout of labyrinthitis), attacking midfielder Zakaria Labyad (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee), and forward Kayke Ferrari (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee).

Crisis during the season, declining numbers under Fernando Diniz, and the fight against relegation

The club from Parque São Jorge has not won in the Brazilian Championship since August 9, when it beat Red Bull Bragantino 2-0 at Estádio Cícero de Souza Marques in the 22nd round of the competition, with goals from midfielder Rodrigo Garro and forward Pedro Raul. Since then, there have been six straight defeats — Cruzeiro (H – 1-2), Coritiba (A – 2-1), Santos (H – 0-1), Chapecoense (H – 1-2), Flamengo (A – 2-1), and Fluminense (H – 1-3). This run of consecutive losses had not happened since 2006.

Corinthians’ last victory came on August 20, when they beat Rosario Central-ARG 1-0 at Neo Química Arena in the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores round of 16. Since then, there has been one draw (Estudiantes-ARG) and six defeats (Coritiba, Santos, Chapecoense, Flamengo, Estudiantes-ARG, and Fluminense) – the team’s second-worst winless run of the year.

Since Fernando Diniz arrived at Corinthians at the beginning of April, the club has recorded 13 wins, 10 draws, and 11 losses — 36 goals scored and 31 conceded, which represents a 48% success rate. In his first seven matches in charge, Diniz posted five wins and two draws, without conceding a single goal. Before the break for the World Cup, Alvinegro had a 64.5% success rate under the coach — nine wins, four draws, and three losses.

The scenario, however, has changed. Since the return, there have been four wins, eight draws, and eight losses — a 33.3% success rate. In that stretch came eliminations in the Copa do Brasil round of 16 and the Libertadores quarterfinals, against Internacional and Estudiantes-ARG, respectively.

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