Corinthians suffer late blow for Cruzeiro clash in the Brasileirão | OneFootball

On Sunday night (16), Corinthians face Cruzeiro at Neo Química Arena in a match valid for the 23rd round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. The club from Parque São Jorge, currently in eighth place with 32 points (eight wins, eight draws, and six losses — 24 goals scored and 20 conceded), is seeking a victory to move up to fifth place. The team from Minas Gerais is sixth with 33 points.

Alvinegro picked up a last-minute absence for the match: center-back André Ramalho, who suffered a mild case of labyrinthitis after the goalless draw away to Rosario Central-ARG in the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores Round of 16 on Thursday night (13). The information was released by the club’s communications department.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Wearing the No. 5 shirt, he came on in stoppage time in the knockout match in the international competition, replacing midfielder Breno Bidon. Shortly before that, defensive midfielder Allan had been sent off in the 35th minute of the second half. In his place, center-back Iago Machado, a starter for Timão’s Under-17 and Under-20 teams, was called up to be on the bench against Cruzeiro. The youngster is also a familiar face to the professional squad, having previously been included in matchday squads for Brasileirão games.

In addition to the defender, Alvinegro has the following absences for the match: defensive midfielder André Luiz (grade 2 injury to the back of his right thigh), midfielders Vitinho (recovering from surgery on the meniscus in his left knee) and Zakaria Labyad (undergoing surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee), as well as forwards Kayke Ferrari (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee) and Yuri Alberto (being treated for a grade 2 injury to the back of his right thigh).

Signed in mid-2024 after a long spell in European football (RB Salzburg – Austria, Bayer Leverkusen – Germany, and PSV – the Netherlands), André Ramalho has since become one of the leaders of the Corinthians squad. As soon as he arrived at the club, he established himself as a starter and played an important role in the team’s surge in the Brasileirão two seasons ago (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying stage — seventh place with 56 points), in addition to taking part in the club’s Paulista Championship (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026) titles, against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively.

With a contract running until the end of the year, the center-back has scored two goals and provided one assist in 91 appearances for Corinthians (80 as a starter), with 39 wins, 28 draws, and 24 losses — a 53.1% success rate. Since last year, he has been more of a backup than a starter for Timão and has also, at times, faced criticism for his performances on the pitch.

After hosting Cruzeiro at home in the Brazilian Championship, Corinthians will turn their attention back to the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores Round of 16. Next Thursday (20), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, Alvinegro will face Rosario Central-ARG, also at Neo Química Arena. If there is another draw, the team advancing to the quarterfinals will be decided on penalties.

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