Gabriel Bontempo seen as Santos’ trump card before Brazil duty | OneFootball

Santos are banking on Gabriel Bontempo to seal a Copa Sudamericana semi-final place when they face Atlético-MG at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday at 19:00 Brasília time. According to Globo.com, his Brazil call-up has underlined his rise.

Santos won the first leg 2-0. They will advance with any win, a draw, or a defeat by only one goal.

Since his call-up, Bontempo has run the midfield, roaming to link play, arrive in the box and create chances. In the Sudamericana he trails only Gabigol, three goals to the number nine’s five.

Qualification would put Santos in the last four and allow all recent reinforcements to be registered to play with Bontempo. Coutinho and Cebolinha are not involved in the quarters.

He has become a regular starter, and his absence was felt in the Copa do Brasil quarter-final first leg, a 3-0 loss to Palmeiras, when he began on the bench.

Inside the club, the view is that he looks increasingly mature. He extended his deal in April to 2030, having already renewed in February, and is seen as the year’s standout breakthrough.

He is expected to play on Saturday against Remo in the Brasileiro, then report to Carlo Ancelotti for Brazil friendlies in the FIFA window. He joins up on 21 September until 6 October, missing only the rearranged São Paulo match on 2 October.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”