Ex-Palmeiras: Paulista final wide open, Novorizontino strong at home | OneFootball

By André Costa

Palmeiras defeated Novorizontino 1-0 on Wednesday night, securing a minimal advantage for the return leg of the final of the Campeonato Paulista, to be played in Novo Horizonte (SP). Former forward Diogo, who played for Verdão in 2014, sees the match as open and shared his thoughts on the clash.

“Palmeiras will always be the favorite, especially in recent years, but Novorizontino has been very strong at home, winning all their games. I think anything can happen. Palmeiras has a slight advantage, but I don't rule out Novorizontino surprising us,” he said in an exclusive interview with Gazeta Esportiva.

Novorizontino and Palmeiras have the best campaigns in the Campeonato Paulista and advanced to the knockout stage in first and second place, respectively, with 16 points. Neither team has lost at home in this edition of the State Championship.

In the first leg, Palmeiras did their part and won with a goal by Flaco López at the Arena Crefisa Barueri. Now, at the Jorge Ismael de Biasi Stadium, Verdão will try to hold the result to claim their 27th Campeonato Paulista trophy. This venue was where Abel Ferreira's team suffered their first defeat of the year: 4-0 to Novorizontino in the first phase.

The return match between Palmeiras and Novorizontino takes place this Sunday, starting at 8:30 PM (Brasília time).

A difficult spell at Palmeiras

Diogo played for Palmeiras in 2014, a season in which the club narrowly avoided relegation to the Second Division of the Brazilian Championship. That year, he played 34 games and scored only one goal. The following year marked a “turning point” for a victorious era with the Copa do Brasil win.

The former forward commented on that time and mentioned that he already had a good outlook for the club.

“It was a very difficult year, but it was already noticeable that Palmeiras would fight for titles in the future. Of course, we didn't imagine they would be at the top, always competing, but we had no doubts that they would fight in the future,” he stated.

Diogo's career

Besides playing for Palmeiras, he also had stints with Santos, Portuguesa, and Flamengo in Brazil. After leaving Verdão, he pursued a career abroad and played for Olympiacos in Greece, BG Pathum United and Buriram United in Thailand, and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia, before retiring in 2023.

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