Corinthians ready, coach eyes Copa do Brasil last-16 decider | OneFootball

Corinthians wrapped up, on the afternoon of this Wednesday (5), at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava, its preparations for the second leg of the 2026 Copa do Brasil round of 16. On Thursday night (6), at 8 p.m. (Brasília time), Alvinegro will host Internacional at Neo Química Arena, looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit built by the opponent in the first leg.

If they want to advance directly to the quarterfinals, they will have to win by at least a three-goal margin. If they match the score from the first leg, qualification will be decided on penalties. The Corinthians squad began the training day in the Flexform Briefing Room, where the players were shown a video with tactical instructions for the decisive match.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Afterward, the players did strength work in the gym and went out to the training center pitch for a warm-up. There, head coach Fernando Diniz led two tactical drills, in addition to set-piece plays. Penalty kicks were also practiced. After the session ended, the Timão manager gave an interview to Corinthians TV, the club’s official YouTube channel, and emphasized the importance of the Fiel in helping the team in its quest for qualification.

“The fans, especially here in Itaquera, really play alongside us. They push the team a lot and make a huge difference. They will be fundamental. We intend to play at the fans’ pace. We are all committed to doing our best in this match. We know what was missing there in Porto Alegre-RS, but we intend to give our all on Thursday,” he said.

Hired at the beginning of April, Fernando Diniz has recorded 10 wins, seven draws, and four losses in charge of the Corinthians team, which represents a 59% success rate. In addition, the team has scored 25 goals and conceded 14.

It is worth remembering that, in the current edition of the Copa do Brasil, Corinthians has already accumulated R$ 5 million in prize money, with two million coming just from participation in the fifth round and the rest from securing a place in the round of 16 by beating Barra-SC 1-0 in both matches, with goals from Jesse Lingard and Yuri Alberto, respectively.

The Parque São Jorge club has won the Copa do Brasil four times in its history (1995, 2002, 2009, and 2025), the most recent coming last year after defeating Vasco da Gama 2-1 in the final at the Maracanã. Before that, Timão eliminated: Novorizontino (third round), Palmeiras (round of 16), Athletico-PR (quarterfinals), Cruzeiro (semifinal), and Vasco da Gama (final).

Before meeting in this edition of the Copa do Brasil, Corinthians and Internacional had already faced each other in three other seasons in the competition. Timão came out on top in 2009, when they beat the team from Rio Grande do Sul 4-2 on aggregate. In the first leg, played at Pacaembu, Corinthians won with goals from Ronaldo Fenômeno and Jorge Henrique. In the return leg, at Beira-Rio Stadium, the match ended in a 2-2 draw, with goals from André Santos and Jorge Henrique.

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