Palmeiras: Before the derby, Paulinho and Vitor Roque train with squad | OneFootball

Palmeiras wrapped up preparations on Saturday morning (11) at the Football Academy for the derby against Corinthians, valid for the 11th round of the Brazilian Championship. The match will be played on Sunday (12), at 6:30 p.m., at Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo.

Standing alone at the top of the competition with 25 points — from eight wins, one draw, and just one defeat — Verdão heads into the match on the back of a run of five consecutive victories, currently the best streak in the tournament. Abel Ferreira’s side has also shown strong away form, with recent wins over São Paulo at Morumbi and Bahia at Arena Fonte Nova.

Saturday’s preparation began with muscle activation activities at the center of excellence, followed by tactical work on the pitch. Under the guidance of the coaching staff, the squad worked on attacking transitions, build-up play, marking, and counterattacks. The session also included recreational activities and final adjustments to aerial balls, free kicks, and set plays.

Among the updates, forwards Paulinho and Vitor Roque once again took part in activities with the group, while full-backs Piquerez and Jefté continued treatment with the Health and Performance Center under a specific program.

Since 2021, Palmeiras and Corinthians have faced each other 11 times at Neo Química Arena, with an even record: three wins for each side and five draws.

In addition to the lead, Verdão could reach a historic milestone this weekend. If it remains top of the table, the club will reach 132 rounds as league leader in the round-robin era, surpassing Corinthians (131) and becoming the team that has occupied first place the most times in the current Brasileirão format.

On the individual side, center-back and captain Gustavo Gómez is on the verge of reaching an impressive milestone: with 399 appearances, he could make his 400th match for the club, becoming the 19th player in Palmeiras history to hit that number. He is also one game away from surpassing Marcos and taking fifth place in the ranking of players with the most appearances for Palmeiras in Brazilian Championships.

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