Out of form, Carlos Miguel must ‘honour promise’ to avert Palmeiras crisis | OneFootball

Carlos Miguel will have a golden opportunity to deliver the response that the Palmeiras fans are expecting. Under pressure and facing questions over his recent performances, the goalkeeper will once again start in the decisive match against Cerro Porteño this Wednesday (19), at 7 p.m. (Brasília time), at La Nueva Olla stadium in Asunción.

The match took on even greater importance for the number one after the 1-1 draw in the first leg, played at Nubank Parque. Palmeiras were leading until the final minutes, when Carlos Miguel failed in his attempt to stop the shot that resulted in Cerro’s equalizer. The mistake happened in stoppage time and prevented Verdão from taking an advantage to Paraguay.

After the final whistle, however, Carlos Miguel struck a confident tone. Asked about the possibility of advancing away from home, the goalkeeper sought to reassure the fans and said: “Don’t worry, we’re going to qualify.”

Pressure increased

The mistake against Cerro was not an isolated incident. Carlos Miguel has been piling up recent errors in a Palmeiras shirt and has become the target of criticism from the fans. His performance against the Paraguayans increased the pressure on the goalkeeper even more, precisely at a decisive moment in the season.

The situation puts Carlos Miguel at the center of the decision. More than simply avoiding new mistakes, the goalkeeper needs to regain his confidence and show composure in a match that could define Palmeiras’ future in the season’s main competition.

The scenario is simple: whoever wins advances to the quarterfinals. Another draw will send the match to penalties.

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