Crespo unbeaten in 13 Majestosos, set for 14th São Paulo derby | OneFootball

Coach Hernán Crespo will, this Thursday, take charge of his 14th classic as head of São Paulo. The Argentine will be on the sidelines to lead Tricolor in the match against Corinthians, at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena, for the 34th round of the Brazilian Championship.

São Paulo comes into the duel after two consecutive games without a win, with one draw and one loss. The Tricolor team, therefore, needs a victory not only to get back into the fight for a Libertadores spot but also to respond to the fans. And there’s nothing better than winning a classic to do just that.

Crespo’s numbers against rivals

In two spells at São Paulo, Crespo has already faced the club’s three main rivals on 13 occasions. The opponent with the most encounters is Palmeiras, while Corinthians has been the least faced by the coach as Tricolor manager.

Crespo’s record in classics is balanced, but leaves something to be desired in terms of performance. In 13 games, there have been four wins, five draws, and four losses, totaling a success rate of 43.58%. There were 15 goals scored and 13 conceded.

Unbeaten against Corinthians

While Crespo’s numbers against rivals overall are not so positive, the story is different against Corinthians. While in charge of São Paulo, the Argentine coach never lost to the black-and-white rivals from Itaquera.

Crespo faced Corinthians twice—once in his first spell and once in his second. The coach boasts one win and one draw against Timão, with the draw coming away from home. The success rate is 66.6%, with four goals scored and two conceded.

Crespo’s first Majestoso was in May 2021, during the first phase of the Paulista Championship. São Paulo came from behind to draw 2-2 with Corinthians at Neo Química Arena, with goals from Miranda and Luciano, the latter from the penalty spot in the 51st minute of the second half.

The second game against Timão took place this year, in the first round of the Brazilian Championship. On that occasion, São Paulo dominated Corinthians and won 2-0, this time at Morumbis. The Tricolor team once again counted on Luciano’s brilliance, who scored both goals.

Santos is usually a thorn in the side

Santos, on the other hand, is usually a ‘thorn in Crespo’s side’ at São Paulo. In four matches against the Baixada opponent, the Argentine coach’s Tricolor has won only one, with two losses and one draw—a success rate of 33.3%. There were five goals scored and four conceded.

In the most recent meeting between the teams, Crespo was defeated once again. With a reserve team due to the Libertadores quarterfinals, São Paulo lost to Santos 1-0 at Vila Belmiro.

Balanced numbers against Palmeiras

Finally, against Palmeiras, Crespo has more balanced numbers. Verdão was the rival the Argentine coach faced most often at São Paulo, including decisive knockout matches in the Libertadores and even a title decider. In 2021, Tricolor won the Paulista Championship over Alviverde.

In seven matches against Palmeiras, Crespo recorded two wins, three draws, and two losses, with a success rate of 42.85%. There were six goals scored and seven conceded, numbers that show the balance in recent encounters.

Upcoming São Paulo matches

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