On loan from Corinthians, Palacios makes it ten games out | OneFootball

Diego Palacios is going through a period of limited involvement at Universidad Católica of Ecuador. Loaned out by Corinthians, the left-back has now gone ten straight matches without making the squad after not being called up for last Saturday’s 5-1 rout of Manta in the Ecuadorian Championship.

The 27-year-old has not played since July 6, when he started in the 3-2 loss to Mushuc Runa. On that occasion, Palacios had returned to the starting lineup after nearly nine months. Since then, he has lost ground to Eddy Mejía and Eric Valencia and has not been used in nine national league matches.

Photo: Universidad Católica/Disclosure

In addition to the local tournament fixtures, the full-back was also left out of the match against Vinotinto in the Copa Ecuador. Universidad Católica won 3-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition.

Palacios’ absence is not related to a new physical issue. After the match against Barcelona de Guayaquil, head coach Diego Martínez was asked about the defender’s situation and said the decision not to include him in the squad was purely technical.

The current run further highlights the difficulty Palacios has faced in trying to earn playing time in Ecuadorian football. This season, Universidad Católica have played 32 matches, but the full-back has featured in only ten, totaling 224 minutes on the pitch. So far, he has not scored or provided any assists. Despite the player’s individual situation, the team is enjoying a strong Ecuadorian Championship campaign. Católica sit in third place with 43 points, behind Aucas and Independiente del Valle, and would currently secure direct qualification for the quarterfinals.

Palacios will have another chance to return to the squad this Wednesday. Universidad Católica face AStilero at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) at Estadio Monumental in Guayaquil in the quarterfinals of the Copa Ecuador.

Spell at Corinthians

Signed by Corinthians at the start of 2024, during Augusto Melo’s administration, Palacios joined the club on a free transfer after his contract with Los Angeles FC of the United States expired. At Parque São Jorge, however, his spell was marked by physical problems, and he played only four matches in about a year and a half.

In August 2025, the full-back was loaned to Karpaty of Ukraine. Again with limited opportunities, he featured in only two matches and later spent two months without being included in the squad.

Back at Corinthians at the start of 2026, Palacios was loaned out again, this time to Universidad Católica. The deal represented savings of approximately R$2.6 million for the São Paulo club on its wage bill. The player is under contract with Timão until December 2027.

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