Going up? Santa Cruz settle line-up for game of the year | OneFootball

Santa Cruz faces Maringá this Saturday, the 3rd, at 5 p.m. (Brasília time), at Arena Pernambuco, in the fifth round of the Brazilian Série C second-stage group. The team takes the field needing a draw to secure promotion to the 2027 Série B and return to a division it has not played in since 2017.

Santa Cruz leads Group B with 10 points. A draw against Maringá would guarantee the Pernambuco side at least a second-place finish in the group stage. That is because they could no longer be caught by Floresta, which sits in third place with 4 points and could only reach 10 points.

Santa Cruz wants attendance record

However, Santinha could achieve something even bigger. If they win the home match by any score, in addition to securing promotion to the 2027 Brazilian Série B, the team will also book its place in this year’s Série C final.

That is why the fans have fully embraced the occasion and sold out tickets for this Saturday’s clash. The expectation is that Arena Pernambuco will welcome around 45,500 supporters to cheer the team on. So far, the team’s biggest home crowd in this Série C came in the second phase against Floresta, with 44,951 fans.

Cristian de Souza will have key returns

Ronald and Eurico have been cleared for this Saturday’s match. However, coach Cristian de Souza did not confirm whether the players will take part against Maringá. Both have recovered from injuries, trained during the week, and are expected to feature in the game.

“Ronald and Eurico trained normally. I believe they’ll be available, maybe not 100%, but close to it. I’m not sure whether I’ll start both of them. I’ve been telling the players that this is a match where everyone has to start at 100%,” said the coach.

As a result, Santa Cruz is expected to line up with: Thiago Coelho; Thiago Ennes, Eurico, William Alves and Matheus Vinícius; Pedro Favela, Silva and Everaldo; Alex Ruan, Renato and Eron.

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