Corinthians quartet return to starting line-up in Brasileirão defeat | OneFootball

On the afternoon of last Sunday (13), Corinthians faced Flamengo at the Maracanã Stadium in a match valid for the 27th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship and lost 2-1. Forward Gui Negão was responsible for scoring Corinthians’ goal. The result caused the club from Parque São Jorge to drop to 13th place with 32 points – eight wins, eight draws, and 11 losses – with 28 goals scored and 29 conceded.

In the match, coach Fernando Diniz chose to field a mostly alternative lineup, since next Wednesday (16) the club has its ‘game of the year’ in the quarterfinals of the Conmebol Libertadores. As a result, four players were able to return to the starting lineup after a long period: midfielders Charles and Matheus Pereira, as well as attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard and forward Gui Negão.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Corinthians Agency

Charles

The defensive midfielder’s last match as a starter had been on April 1. On that occasion, he was picked by then-head coach Dorival Jr to start against Fluminense away from home in the ninth round of the 2026 Brasileirão – a 3-1 defeat.

Since then, the midfielder had been getting few minutes under Fernando Diniz, having played in only three matches, including this one against the Rio side. Wearing the No. 35 shirt, against Flamengo he played 67 minutes and was replaced by Breno Bidon midway through the second half. His SofaScore rating was 6.8.

Signed in mid-2024 from Danish football, Charles has made 15 appearances this year. In total during his time at Parque São Jorge, he has played 76 matches, 38 as a starter, with two goals and one assist. In addition, he has won three titles: the Paulista Championship (2025), the Copa do Brasil (2025), and the Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo.

Matheus Pereira

The midfielder, who came through Corinthians’ youth academy and returned to the club at the start of this year, started a match again for the first time since July 30. On that occasion, in the 21st round of the Brasileirão, Timão drew 0-0 with Athletico-PR in Itaquera, and the player was on the field for 77 minutes.

Wearing the No. 23 shirt, against Flamengo he played 73 minutes and was replaced by Rodrigo Garro in the second half. His SofaScore rating was 6.5. This season, Matheus has made 31 appearances for Timão and scored one goal.

He was part of the squad that won the Supercopa do Brasil in February this year, facing the same Rio side. Also considering his first spell at the club in 2015, he has 33 matches, 14 of them as a starter.

Jesse Lingard

Like Matheus Pereira, his last start for Corinthians had been on July 30, against Athletico-PR at home in the Brasileirão. On that occasion, he played all 90 minutes – in fact, it had been the last match up to that point in which he stayed on the field for the entire game. Since then, all of the last seven matches in which he played came from the bench.

Against the Rubro-Negro, he did not have a particularly standout performance and received a SofaScore rating of 5.9. Signed in March after spells in English and Korean football, the attacking midfielder has made 28 appearances for Corinthians, 11 as a starter, along with two goals and one assist.

It was only the fourth time Jesse Lingard completed a full 90-minute match for Corinthians. Besides the games against Athletico-PR and Flamengo, he had reached that mark in May in the 1-1 draw against Santa Fé away from home in the Libertadores group stage, and in the 3-2 win over São Paulo in Itaquera in the 15th round of the Brasileirão.

Nine of his 11 starts for Corinthians came between April and May, precisely when he showed his best form in a Corinthians shirt since his arrival. Since then, he has been looking to regain his best individual level with the team.

Gui Negão

The No. 56, in turn, had not started a match since August 2. On that occasion, he was on the field for 72 minutes and was replaced by Pedro Raul in the defeat to Internacional at Beira-Rio in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16.

Facing the Rio side, he ended a drought of more than seven months without finding the net and earned a SofaScore rating of 7.0.

Gui Negão began receiving opportunities with Corinthians’ first team in mid-2025, when the team was coached by Dorival Júnior. At the time, Alvinegro was under a FIFA transfer ban, meaning it was prohibited from registering signings, in addition to injuries to Yuri Alberto and Memphis Depay, forcing the club to rely on players developed in the youth ranks.

Initially, the youngster delivered standout performances, proving decisive for Corinthians in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals against Athletico-PR, playing an important tactical role and also being useful to the team in Brazilian Championship matches. However, toward the end of 2025, his level dropped, he began to be used less, but he has been regaining minutes under Fernando Diniz in recent weeks.

In terms of overall numbers, Gui Negão has seven goals and two assists in 37 matches for Timão, with 16 wins, six draws, and 20 losses – a 42.9% success rate. In addition, he has won two titles: the Copa do Brasil (2025) and the Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, respectively. His contract runs until June 2030, with a domestic release clause of R$ 140 million and an international one set at 100 million euros (approximately R$ 600 million at the current exchange rate).

Next match

After visiting Flamengo at the Maracanã in the Brazilian Championship, Corinthians now turns its focus to the match of the season. Next Wednesday (16), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, Alvinegro will host Estudiantes of Argentina for the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals. In the first match, in La Plata, the teams drew 1-1. If there is another draw, the semifinalist will be decided by penalty kicks.

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