Palmeiras face the team behind Abel’s worst defeat, eyeing revenge | OneFootball

Palmeiras meets one of its main nemeses of the season once again: Novorizontino. This Wednesday, the teams face off at Arena Barueri in the first leg of the Campeonato Paulista final. In addition to seeking an advantage in the final, the Verdão squad is looking for revenge.

Regardless of the outcome, the Tigre is now a notable part of Abel Ferreira’s journey at the helm of Palmeiras. The club from the interior of São Paulo was responsible for the worst defeat suffered by Verdão since the coach took charge of the team.

The setback occurred on January 20 of this year. On that occasion, with a mixed team on the field, the capital club was thrashed 4-0 in Novo Horizonte. The goals were scored by Robson (three times) and Hélio Cunha.

See also: All the news from Gazeta Esportiva Gazeta Esportiva’s YouTube Channel Follow Gazeta Esportiva on Instagram Gazeta Esportiva’s WhatsApp Channel

In a press conference at the FPF headquarters this Tuesday, Abel recalled the match. The Portuguese coach said the team needed to “take a slap” to wake up. In fact, Palmeiras improved after the thrashing and has only one defeat in the last ten matches.

“Sometimes we need to take a few slaps to open our eyes. That was one of them. I know you only judge a coach by results, but a coach is much more than that. I’m not at Palmeiras just because I’m handsome or ugly, I’m here because we win together,” said Abel.

“In life, many times we need some defeats that force us to come back stronger. Football always gives us opportunities to reinvent ourselves, to compete. Football always gives opportunities to those who work seriously. Hard work pays off. We need to trust in it and be prepared for our challenges,” he concluded.

The 2026 Paulistão finals will be played this Wednesday and Sunday. The first leg takes place at Arena Barueri, with Palmeiras as the home team. The second match will be in Novo Horizonte.

Current state runner-up, Palmeiras is seeking its 27th Paulistão title. Last year, the team lost the final to archrival Corinthians. The Verdão has seven wins, one draw, and two losses in the current edition of the tournament, and eliminated Capivariano and São Paulo to reach the final for the seventh consecutive year.

Novorizontino, on the other hand, is trying to win the state trophy for the first time in its history. The Tigre has the best campaign of this edition of the tournament, with seven wins, one draw, and two losses, and left behind Santos and Corinthians.

Finals Details

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