Corinthians update on defender's condition before Chapecoense clash | OneFootball

Late this Saturday afternoon (5), in the final training session at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava before facing Chapecoense in the second half of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, Corinthians provided an update on the medical status of 34-year-old center-back André Ramalho. According to the club, the defender is already doing partial training with the rest of the squad after dealing with labyrinthitis.

His last appearance for Corinthians came on August 13, nearly a month ago, in the goalless draw against Rosario Central of Argentina away from home, in the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores round of 16. On that occasion, the No. 5 came on in stoppage time of 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.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Corinthians Agency

Since then, after being diagnosed with labyrinthitis, André Ramalho has missed the matches against Cruzeiro (H), Rosario Central (H), Coritiba (A) and Santos (H). Despite already taking part in partial training with the Corinthians squad, he is expected to remain unavailable for this Sunday’s match (6), at 7:30 p.m. Brasília time, against Chapecoense in Itaquera, for the 26th round of the Brasileirão.

In addition to him, the following will also be unavailable: goalkeeper Hugo Souza (suspended), center-back Gabriel Paulista (suspended), defensive midfielders Raniele (suspended) and André Luiz (still recovering from a grade 2 injury to the hamstring in his right thigh), attacking midfielders Vitinho (in physical transition, in the final stage of recovery from surgery on the meniscus of his left knee) and Zakaria Labyad (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee), as well as forwards Kayke Ferrari (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee) and Yuri Alberto (still being treated for a grade 2 injury to the hamstring in his right thigh; he is also out of the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinal against Estudiantes).

Signed in mid-2024 after an extensive career in European football (RB Salzburg – Austria, Bayer Leverkusen – Germany, and PSV – the Netherlands), André Ramalho has been one of the leaders of the Corinthians squad ever since. Right after arriving 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 being part of the title-winning squads in the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025) and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), 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 used more as a substitute than a starter for Timão and has also faced criticism at times for his performances on the pitch.

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