Corinthians seek to stem defensive crisis, avoid worst run of season | OneFootball

Corinthians visit Flamengo on Sunday afternoon (13), at 5:30 p.m. Brasília time, at the Maracanã Stadium, in a match valid for the 27th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. With the round only partially completed, Alvinegro sit just 13th in the table with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws, and 10 losses — with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded. A victory could move Timão up to 10th place.

The club from Parque São Jorge, in addition to taking the field looking to avoid a streak that has not happened in almost 30 years, is also seeking to regain its defensive solidity. The team managed by coach Fernando Diniz has conceded in its last four matches. The negative spell in that area began on August 23, when they were beaten by Coritiba at Couto Pereira in the 24th round, 2-1. In the 25th and 26th rounds, on August 30 and September 6, Alvinegro were defeated by Santos and Chapecoense, respectively, both at home, by scores of 1-0 and 2-1.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Then, last Wednesday (9), Timão visited Estudiantes-ARG in La Plata for the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals and once again conceded in a 1-1 draw. If they allow another goal this Sunday, the club from Parque São Jorge will equal the mark of five consecutive matches conceding, something that has not happened since the first quarter of the year.

On that occasion, between February and March, Corinthians conceded in draws against Portuguesa (Paulistão quarterfinals), Cruzeiro (Brazilian Championship), and Santos (Brazilian Championship) — all by 1-1 scores — in addition to conceding in defeats to Novorizontino (1-0 away, in the Paulistão semifinal) and Coritiba (2-0 at home, in the Brazilian Championship).

However, that is still not the worst mark. Corinthians’ most recent negative defensive stretch came between November and December 2025, when Timão conceded in seven straight matches. In that span, Alvinegro allowed 12 goals — all in Brazilian Championship matches — in defeats to Red Bull Bragantino (A – 2-1), Ceará (H – 0-1), Cruzeiro (A – 3-0), and Fortaleza (A – 2-1), in draws against Botafogo (H – 2-2) and Juventude (H – 1-1), and in a win over São Paulo (H – 3-1).

Different performances in the Brazilian Championship and Conmebol Libertadores

The club from Parque São Jorge faces a dilemma this season, because despite being in the decisive stages of the Libertadores, it is going through a difficult situation in the domestic competition. Fernando Diniz’s men have lost their last four Brazilian Championship matches — Cruzeiro (H – 1-2), Coritiba (A – 2-1), Santos (H – 0-1), and Chapecoense (H – 1-2) — and have gone from fighting for a G5 spot, the qualification zone for the 2027 Pre-Libertadores, to battling against the relegation zone. The first team inside the bottom four at the moment is Vasco da Gama, with 28 points in 26 matches.

Next Wednesday (16), Corinthians will play the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals against Estudiantes-ARG at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at Neo Química Arena, seeking a place in the semifinals of the competition for the first time since 2012, the year they won their first-ever title. In the first leg, Timão, with a goal from forward Kaio César, secured a 1-1 draw in La Plata at Estadio José Jorge Hirschi.

In the group stage, Alvinegro advanced as leaders of Group E with 11 points — three wins, two draws, and one loss — scoring eight goals and conceding four. In the round of 16, they eliminated Rosario Central-ARG by winning 1-0 on aggregate — 0-0 in the first leg (Argentina) and 1-0 in the second leg (Neo Química Arena). So far, they have accumulated R$ 25.9 million in prize money in the competition.

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