Fixture congestion worries Abel Ferreira before Paulistão final | OneFootball

Abel Ferreira once again criticized the schedule of Brazilian football while analyzing the final of the Campeonato Paulista after the victory over São Paulo. With the two semifinals played on different days, Palmeiras will have one less day of rest than Novorizontino before the first match of the final, which is set to take place this Wednesday.

Palmeiras took the field this Sunday and defeated São Paulo 2-1 at Arena Crefisa Barueri, reaching their seventh consecutive State Championship final. On Saturday, meanwhile, Novorizontino beat Corinthians 1-0 at Estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi and advanced to the final.

“I need to have my players fresh and Brazilian football doesn’t allow teams to recover. I don’t think it’s fair for one team to play another, to decide, like in the case of Corinthians and Novorizontino, and for one team to have an extra day of rest compared to the other. There should be at least three days. And why didn’t I rotate, and São Paulo did? That’s São Paulo’s decision. For those who organize and decide, if you want to value the spectacle and not just the audience, if you want to think a little more fairly, you have to give at least three days,” demanded Abel.

“Then I’ll have my guys ready to hunt and run for 90 minutes. With two days, it’s not possible. That’s what I defend. It’s not for me, it’s for everyone. I defend what’s best for Brazilian football: good pitches, synthetic or natural, the same conditions for all teams. If the opposing coach decides to rest players or not, but I need three days. I could do against Fluminense what Crespo did, but at least three days are needed,” the coach continued.

Before the semifinals, all the semifinalists took the field. Palmeiras decided to go with full strength and sent out the same team both in the match against Fluminense, which was worth the top spot in the Brasileirão, and in the semifinal against São Paulo.

On the other hand, São Paulo and Corinthians rested players, while Novorizontino made some specific changes.

Just hours after securing their spot in the final, Palmeiras will already return to the Football Academy to begin preparations for the State Championship final. Before the first match, Abel Ferreira will conduct only two training sessions, with the first being just a recovery session for the starters.

Palmeiras’ Situation

Finalists in the Paulistão for the seventh consecutive time, Palmeiras are now preparing for the decisive matches against Novorizontino. The home and away legs will take place on March 4 and 8. Having the best campaign, the Tigre do Vale will play the second leg at home.

Palmeiras’ Next Match

Match: Palmeiras vs. Novorizontino Competition: Campeonato Paulista (Final, first leg) Date and time: March 4, 2026 (Wednesday), time to be determined Venue: Arena Crefisa Barueri

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