Defender still out for Corinthians in crunch Libertadores tie | OneFootball

Corinthians host Rosario Central-ARG on Thursday night (20) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Neo Química Arena for the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores round of 16. In the first match, played last Thursday (13) in Argentina, the teams drew 0-0. If there is another draw, the tie will be decided on penalties. In the group stage, Timão advanced as leaders of Group E with 13 points. Their opponents, meanwhile, finished second in Group H with 13 points.

The club from Parque São Jorge, in an official statement, confirmed that center-back André Ramalho will once again be unavailable for the team as he is suffering from labyrinthitis. According to the statement, the defender was even hospitalized, but was discharged this Wednesday (19) and will be monitored by the medical department over the next few days. Last Sunday (16), he had already missed the match against Cruzeiro in Itaquera in the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship for the same reason.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

In addition to him, Corinthians will also have the following absences for the decisive clash in the international competition: defensive midfielder André Luiz (grade 2 strain in the back of his right thigh), midfielders Vitinho (recovering from surgery on the meniscus in his left knee) and Zakaria Labyad (undergoing post-surgery recovery after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee), as well as forwards Kayke Ferrari (recovering from surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee) and Yuri Alberto (being treated for a grade 2 strain in the back of his right thigh).

Signed in mid-2024 after a long spell in European football (RB Salzburg – Austria, Bayer Leverkusen – Germany and PSV – the Netherlands), André Ramalho has since become one of the leaders of the Corinthians squad. As soon as he arrived at the club, he established himself as a starter and played an important role in the team’s surge in the Brasileirão the year before last (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifiers – seventh place with 56 points), in addition to taking part in the title wins 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 matches wearing the Corinthians shirt (80 as a starter), with 39 wins, 28 draws and 24 defeats – a 53.1% success rate. Since last year, he has been more of a backup than a starter for Timão and has at times also faced criticism for his performances on the pitch.

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