Corinthians ready for decisive Cruzeiro clash in Women's Brasileirão | OneFootball

Corinthians wrapped up training this Sunday ahead of another knockout match in the Brazilian Women’s Championship. The Brabas return to the field on Monday, September 7, at 5 p.m., to host Cruzeiro at Canindé in the second leg of the quarterfinals.

The team coached by Emily Lima focused on the final details for the decisive match. Training began with activation exercises in the gym, and afterward the players moved to the pitch, where they warmed up and took part in tactical activities.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Corinthians Agency

The coaching staff also used the session to work on specific game situations. Among the drills were set pieces and penalty kicks, preparing the squad for the different scenarios that could arise during the match.

The session also featured two 18-year-old players who have been standing out in the youth ranks. Left-back Emelym took part in training, as did right-back Dany Pereira. Both were born in 2008 and are starters for Corinthians’ Under-20 team.

Vic Albuquerque, the attacking midfielder who scored the goal that gave Corinthians the win in the first leg away from home, highlighted the team’s week of preparation and spoke about the importance of securing qualification this Monday.

“Well, about the goal, I’m very happy to have helped, but it’s nothing more than our work being done the way we trained, the way I’ve been training. And about our week, as I also said after the match, I think it’s important not to rely on the scoreline we already got, but instead to play to win so we don’t take any risks. Of course, the strategy can change a little during the game, but we’re training hard to also win the match at home and make our fans happy”, the player said.

For the decisive match, Emily Lima still needs to sort out a few situations involving players who did not take part in the first meeting. Juliete, who had been dealing with inflammation in her Achilles tendon, returned to training during the week. Dayana Rodríguez, meanwhile, has also recovered from muscular problems and resumed training with the rest of the group.

Despite the progress of both players, the coaching staff has not yet confirmed whether either of them will be available for the match. Ana Vitória is in a different situation and remains sidelined with an abdominal muscle injury, having not appeared in the most recent activities.

The tendency is for Corinthians to keep the three-center-back setup used in the first leg. A likely lineup has Nicole; Gi Fernandes, Thaís Regina, Erika (Dayana Rodríguez), Thaís Ferreira and Tamires; Duda Sampaio and Andressa Alves (Gabi Zanotti); Belén Aquino, Jaqueline and Jhonson.

Corinthians head into the second leg in a comfortable position thanks to the result from the first clash. Last Monday, the Brabas beat Cruzeiro 1-0 at Arena Independência and now only need a draw to confirm their place in the semifinals.

The team from Minas Gerais, on the other hand, need to win by one goal to take the tie to penalties. A Cruzeiro win by two or more goals secures direct qualification to the semifinals, while any other result favorable to Corinthians confirms the black-and-white side’s spot.

Whoever advances will face Bahia in the next round. On the other side of the bracket, São Paulo and Ferroviária are also fighting for a place among the tournament’s final four teams.

In addition to qualification, Corinthians take the field with another important objective: cutting the gap to São Paulo in the overall standings. The Brabas have 41 points and sit in second place, four behind their rivals, who have 45.

A win in regular time would take Corinthians to 44 points and cut the difference to just one. Depending on later results, Timão could still overtake São Paulo during the semifinals.

The classification-stage campaign could also have an impact on the championship decider. If Corinthians and São Paulo both advance to the final, the team with the better overall campaign will have the right to play the second leg at home.

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