Cuca doubts Neymar involvement for Santos at Palmeiras on synthetic pitch | OneFootball

Santos may be without Neymar for the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals due to the synthetic surface at Nubank Parque. According to Globo.com, his involvement is in doubt for Wednesday’s 21:30 Brasília time kick-off.

After a 1-1 draw with Mirassol in the Campeonato Brasileiro, coach Cuca said he will speak with the forward on Monday before deciding. He called Palmeiras favourites, noting they are league leaders, at home and have a deep, quality squad.

Cuca said Santos must stay calm and balanced and can perform well at Nubank Parque and Arena Corinthians. He said there was no answer yet on Neymar and that the whole squad will be reassessed.

Since returning to Santos, Neymar has avoided synthetic pitches. His only outing on artificial turf in this spell was a 1-1 draw with Atlético-MG at Arena MRV last year, when he twisted his ankle early but played on.

His entourage have already blocked the idea of renting Palmeiras’ stadium as a temporary home, despite club directors from both sides advancing talks to that end.

Were this a league fixture, there would be a strong chance he would sit out even if fully fit. As a knockout tie, his involvement will be assessed, with the possibility he plays or not.

Last year he joined players protesting against synthetic pitches in Brazil, describing such surfaces as society and saying playing at the Palmeiras ground was impossible for him, while he felt comfortable at Morumbi.

Source: Globo.com

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