Palmeiras hit game 50 with defence in focus before Santos decider | OneFootball

Palmeiras will play their 50th match of the season. The milestone will be reached this Wednesday (2), when Verdão faces Santos at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Vila Belmiro in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals.

In the first leg, played at Nubank Parque, Palmeiras won 3-0 and built an important advantage for the decisive clash. With that result, the team can even lose by two goals and still secure qualification for the semifinal.

21 clean sheets

Of the 49 matches played so far this season, Palmeiras kept a clean sheet in 21 of them. The number represents about 43% of the team’s fixtures and highlights the defense’s ability to finish matches without conceding.

Despite the numbers, the defense remains one of Abel Ferreira’s areas of concern. Throughout the season, the coach has made several changes in the sector, whether due to fitness issues, suspensions, the need for rotation, or tactical choices.

The rotation of players also requires a constant process of adaptation and chemistry-building. Even so, Verdão has managed to keep its goal untouched in a significant share of the matches played.

Clássico marks impressive number this season

The match against Santos, besides being worth a place among the final four of the Copa do Brasil, will be the club’s 50th match of 2026, in a season with a packed schedule and the simultaneous challenge of different competitions.

The advantage built in the first meeting allows Palmeiras to manage the result at Vila Belmiro, but Abel Ferreira is aiming to secure qualification there without any scares.

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