Corinthians midfielder a doubt for Brasileirão clash with RB Bragantino | OneFootball

At the start of the evening next Sunday (9), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Corinthians will visit Red Bull Bragantino at Estádio Cícero de Souza Marques, in Atibaia, in a match valid for the 22nd round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. Currently, Alvinegro sits in ninth place with 29 points — seven wins, eight draws, and six losses — with 22 goals scored and 20 conceded.

Corinthians’ coaching staff may have an important absence for the clash against Massa Bruta. That is because, according to Meu Timão, defensive midfielder André Luiz felt pain in the back muscle of his right thigh during the match against Internacional last Thursday (6), in Itaquera, in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Wearing the No. 49 shirt, he even underwent ice treatment on the affected area while still on the bench after being substituted by attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard. According to the Meu Timão report, the midfielder was reevaluated when the squad returned this Friday (7) at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava and will undergo the same procedure this Saturday (8), on the eve of the match.

Besides André’s possible absence, Alvinegro currently has the following players in the medical department: left-back Hugo Farias (in physical transition after recovering from knee cruciate ligament surgery), defensive midfielder Alex Santana (physical transition after trauma to the right knee), midfielders Vitinho (left knee meniscus surgery) and Zakaria Labyad (meniscus and ACL injury in the left knee), as well as forwards Kayke Ferrari (recovering from cruciate ligament surgery) and Yuri Alberto (right hamstring injury).

To replace him, coach Fernando Diniz has the following options: André Carrillo and Matheus Pereira. During training in the break for the World Cup, the latter was even tested in the same role as André, playing a little further forward and getting into the box more often. In the friendly against FC Cascavel on July 12, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Matheus Pereira played in that role and scored the team’s goal in the match.

André Luiz earned space in Corinthians’ senior squad at the start of the second half of 2025, when then-head coach Dorival Júnior had to rely even more on the youth ranks, since Timão was under a FIFA transfer ban and could not register players.

Gradually, he became one of the team’s pillars, standing out mainly for his physical strength and ability to get into the box to finish. In total, he has seven goals and two assists in 47 matches (31 as a starter), with 19 wins, 17 draws, and 11 losses — a 52.5% success rate — and was part of the title-winning squads in the Copa do Brasil (2025) and the Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, respectively.

In recent months, he has been monitored by clubs in Europe, especially in Italian football — Milan and Juventus. At the start of this year, he came close to joining the Rossoneri, but the move did not happen after a change of direction by the board. In the coming weeks, he may receive an offer from the Vecchia Signora. In 2026, he is Timão’s joint second-highest scorer alongside center-back Gustavo Henrique, with five goals in 35 matches.

Before being promoted to Corinthians’ senior squad in the middle of last year, André Luiz missed the entire first half of the season, including the Copa São Paulo, because of a knee injury. In Corinthians’ youth ranks, at Under-17 and Under-20 levels, he scored 11 goals in 80 matches — 41 wins, 15 draws, and 24 losses. His main title in Timão’s youth setup was the 2023 Paulista Under-17 Championship, against São Paulo, at Fazendinha, in a team that also featured Luiz Gustavo Bahia, Dieguinho, and Gui Negão — the latter two now André’s teammates in the senior squad.

His contract with Corinthians runs until December 2029 and includes an international release clause of 100 million euros (nearly R$ 600 million).

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