Corinthians U17 meet Ponte Preta again in Paulista after five years | OneFootball

Corinthians and Ponte Preta will face each other again at the U-17 level after nearly five years. This Saturday (3), at 11 a.m. (Brasília time), the teams will meet at Chico Vieira Stadium, in Itapira, for the first leg of the third round of the Paulista Championship in the category.

The last meeting took place in November 2021 and ended in a 2-1 win for Corinthians. More than the result itself, that match stands out because of the players used by Timãozinho. Among the 15 athletes who took the field, six later received opportunities with Corinthians’ first team.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Corinthians

Breno Bidon, Wesley Gassova, Guilherme Biro, Felipe Augusto, Kauê and Kayke Ferrari were part of that match and, in the following years, took different paths in professional football. Now, nearly five years later, a new generation begins another chapter in the rivalry between the teams.

Last meeting ended with a Corinthians win

The 2021 match was played in the sixth and final round of the second phase of the Paulista U-17 Championship. On that occasion, Corinthians beat Ponte Preta 2-1.

Timãozinho started that match with Kauê; Leo Agostinho, Renato, Vinicius Cressi and Vitor Meer; Breno Bidon, Pedrinho, Caio and Biro; Wesley and Felipe Augusto.

During the match, Vitor Santos, Maiky, Kayke Ferrari and Murilo Puriero also came on. The last two, in fact, came off the bench to score the goals that secured the Corinthians victory.

The match ended up becoming a snapshot of a generation that would later supply several players to the senior squad.

Six players reached the first team

Of the 15 players used by Corinthians in that match, six later went on to play for the club’s first team.

Among them is Breno Bidon, who earned space in the senior team and established himself in Corinthians’ midfield. At 21, the player also reached the Brazilian national team after being called up by Carlo Ancelotti.

Bidon also took part in one of Corinthians’ most important moments in recent years. In the club’s 2025 Copa do Brasil triumph, a move started by the midfielder helped build the goal that secured the title.

Another name from that lineup still at Parque São Jorge is Kauê. Now 22, the goalkeeper is currently Hugo Souza’s immediate backup and has made five appearances in the 2026 season.

Kayke Ferrari, scorer of one of the goals against Ponte Preta in 2021, also remains at Corinthians. The forward had been receiving frequent first-team opportunities, especially after Fernando Diniz’s arrival, and scored twice this season before suffering a ligament injury. The physical problem ruled him out for the rest of 2026.

Wesley, Biro and Felipe Augusto took other paths

Three other players from that match left Corinthians after spells with the first team.

Wesley Gassova was the one who made the most first-team appearances among them. The forward played 85 matches, scored seven goals and provided five assists before being transferred to Al-Nassr, in Saudi Arabia.

The transfer was completed for approximately 20 million dollars, around R$110 million at the exchange rate at the time. Wesley later played for Real Sociedad before joining Cruzeiro.

Felipe Augusto also began his professional career at a young age. The forward made his debut in 2021, at 17, and left Corinthians with 29 appearances and two goals.

At the end of 2023, he was transferred to Cercle Brugge, in Belgium, for 3 million euros, approximately R$16 million at the exchange rate at the time. He later played for Trabzonspor, in Turkey, and currently plays for Zenit, in Russia.

Guilherme Biro, meanwhile, made his first-team debut in 2022 at the age of 18 and began appearing more frequently in the senior squad from 2023 onward. He made 30 appearances for the first team, without scoring or providing an assist.

The midfielder later left Corinthians to play for Sharjah FC, in the United Arab Emirates, and currently plays for Kalba FC, in the same country.

New generation takes center stage in the U-17s

This Saturday’s reunion comes at a different moment in Corinthians’ development setup. If the 2021 clash brought together names who later reached the first team, the current U-17 side also has players who have been standing out throughout the season.

Among them is Miguel Moscardo, one of the team’s top scorers in 2026. In his first year in the category, the center forward has 19 goals in 27 matches.

The striker is just one goal away from reaching the mark of 20 goals in a debut U-17 season, a number previously achieved by Cauê and Gui Amorim.

Lucca Caramico also stands out among the category’s attacking players and leads Corinthians U-17’s recent all-time scoring chart in the survey available since 2017.

Reunion comes in a knockout clash

Unlike the last meeting between Corinthians and Ponte Preta, held during the second phase of the 2021 Paulista, this time the clubs meet in a knockout tie.

The ball starts rolling at 11 a.m. this Saturday, at Chico Vieira Stadium, in Itapira, opening the third-round matchup in the Paulista U-17 Championship.

Nearly five years after the 2-1 win that featured future first-team players, Corinthians will face Ponte Preta again with a new generation on the field and a place in the next stage of the state championship at stake.

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