Former full-back previews Corinthians v Rosario in Libertadores last 16

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Central do Timão

·11 August 2026

Former full-back previews Corinthians v Rosario in Libertadores last 16

By Fabio Luigi | Central do Timão Editorial Staff

Next Thursday (13), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Corinthians will visit Argentina’s Rosario Central at the Gigante de Arroyito for the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores round of 16. In the group stage, Alvinegro topped Group E with 11 points, while their opponent finished second in the group with 13 points.

Former left-back Fábio Santos, who played for Corinthians in two spells, from 2011 to 2015 and from 2020 to 2023, previewed the clash and highlighted the opponent’s quality. In the former player’s view, Timão will face a tough matchup and is expected to run into difficulties throughout the game.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Agência Corinthians

“Corinthians will have a lot of difficulty, it’s a very complicated matchup, especially playing away from home. Rosario are in great form with some standout players, especially Di María, who is still managing to play at an extremely high level,” he said.

Now a commentator for ESPN, which will broadcast the match, Fábio Santos also said that the game between Rosario Central and Corinthians is the marquee matchup of the round of 16, along with Cruzeiro vs. Flamengo. He also said that Alvinegro will have to use their Copa do Brasil elimination as a lesson so as not to repeat those mistakes in the Libertadores.

“For me, it’s one of the main matchups of this round of 16, along with Flamengo and Cruzeiro. Corinthians really, even though they qualified in first place, actually ended up with fewer points than Rosario, who really had a tougher group and got 13 points.” “Hopefully that has served as a lesson so they can put in a competitive performance. They need to know how to get through difficult moments, because that’s going to happen. Playing in Argentina is never easy, especially there in Rosario,” he added.

Finally, the former No. 6 reinforced the importance of Corinthians being well prepared to withstand any periods of pressure from the Argentine side.

“They absolutely have a chance of going through, even knowing—once again, I repeat—that for me this is the main matchup of this round of 16 alongside Flamengo and Cruzeiro,” he concluded.

In 374 matches wearing the Corinthians shirt, 354 of them as a starter, Fábio Santos recorded 185 wins, 113 draws and 76 losses, with a 59.5% success rate. For Timão, the former left-back scored 32 goals and provided 17 assists, in addition to winning six titles: two Brazilian Championships (2011 and 2015), the Conmebol Libertadores and the Club World Cup, both in 2012, the Recopa Sudamericana (2013), and the Campeonato Paulista (2013).

In this edition of the Libertadores, Timão are seeking their best run in the tournament since their historic 2012 triumph, when they lifted the trophy unbeaten. Since then, Alvinegro have been knocked out in the round of 16 in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018, in addition to being eliminated in the preliminary stage in 2020 and 2025. In 2022, they reached the quarterfinals but were ultimately beaten by Flamengo.

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