Corinthians Under-20 ready for Paulistão top-spot clash | OneFootball

Already guaranteed a spot in the next stage of the Paulista Under-20 Championship, Corinthians take the field this Saturday (12) with another goal before the knockout rounds begin. The Sons of Terrão host América-SP at 3 p.m. (Brasília time) at Fazendinha, in the 15th and final round of the group stage, still with a chance to finish top of Group 01.

Preparation for the match was completed this Friday (11) on field 4 of Corinthians’ Center of Excellence in Athlete Development (CEFAC). Even with the heavy rain that hit the city of São Paulo, the squad trained as usual and carried out a high-intensity session.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

In the final session before the match, the coaching staff led by William Batista prioritized tactical aspects to fine-tune the team that will take the field against América-SP.

Timão fight for top spot in the final round

Corinthians head into the end of the first phase with 29 points, level with Santos. Their rivals from the Baixada Santista region, however, are in first place due to a superior goal difference.

Because of that, besides going for all three points at Fazendinha, Timão will also need to keep an eye on Santos’ result to know in which position they will finish the qualifying stage. The final-round matches will be played simultaneously.

The battle for first place is also important when it comes to the path through the knockout rounds. Corinthians’ aim is to secure a position that allows the team to play the decisive matches at home.

William Batista gave a positive assessment of the squad’s performances so far. The coach highlighted the team’s defensive numbers, the overall campaign, and recalled that at the start of the state competition he had to manage the group because of the simultaneous Under-20 Brazilian Championship.

“We had a good group stage, we have the best defense in the competition and the third-best overall campaign. In the first six matches, we alternated between the State Championship and the Under-20 Brasileirão, which helped us give playing time to the entire squad. We will face this last challenge with the same seriousness as the other matches, because we know how important first place in our group is, always with the aim of deciding matches at home, which is our main objective at this moment,” said the coach.

Qualified, Corinthians target an edge in the knockout rounds

Regardless of this Saturday’s result, Corinthians have already secured their place in the knockout stage of the Paulista Under-20 Championship. The final round, therefore, will serve to define Timão’s position and, consequently, their situation for the rest of the competition.

In addition to fighting for the top spot in the group, the black-and-white side head into the decisive round with the best defense in the tournament and the third-best overall campaign among all participants, as highlighted by William Batista.

The ball rolls for Corinthians and América-SP this Saturday at 3 p.m. at Fazendinha. Admission will be free for fans who want to watch the Sons of Terrão’s final first-phase match.

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