Palmeiras meet old rivals in derby against Santos, check it out | OneFootball

Palmeiras will have another important commitment in the quest for the Brazilian Championship title. Verdão faces Santos this Thursday, starting at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at Allianz Parque, in a match valid for the 32nd round of the national competition.

The Alviverde will reunite, for the first time, with two old acquaintances who left the club this year. Important players for Palmeiras in recent years, midfielder Zé Rafael and right-back Mayke have strengthened Santos this season.

Zé Rafael was the first to leave Palmeiras. He was announced as a reinforcement for Santos in February this year after losing his place at Verdão. In his last season with the Palmeiras club, Zé Rafael experienced ups and downs due to a chronic back problem.

The player even finished the season as a substitute at Palmeiras. Despite this, Zé Rafael built a respectable history with the Alviverde team. Signed in 2019, he spent five years at the club and accumulated 308 matches, with 25 goals, 25 assists, and 11 titles (including two Brazilian Championships and two Libertadores). The data is from the platform Ogol.

Mayke, on the other hand, had an even longer stint at Palmeiras than Zé Rafael. The right-back joined the club back in 2017, initially on loan from Cruzeiro. At the end of 2018, he was permanently signed by the Alviverde team, signing a five-year contract.

The defender started the current season at Palmeiras and had a contract until the end of the year, but the deal would not be renewed. Therefore, the club and the player anticipated the negotiation and agreed on the termination in July this year. Mayke bid farewell to the Alviverde with 314 games, eight goals, 25 assists, and 12 titles.

Players experience different situations

Currently, Zé Rafael and Mayke are experiencing different situations at Santos. While the midfielder is a key player for the team led by Juan Pablo Vojvoda, the right-back has not been able to replicate the performance of previous seasons and is a substitute for Igor Vinícius.

Zé Rafael underwent surgery at the beginning of the year to correct the chronic back problem and debuted for Santos only in May. Since then, the number 6 has established himself in the starting eleven. He has become a kind of 'engine' in the midfield and was a starter in nine of the ten games he was available for Vojvoda.

Meanwhile, Mayke has not been able to secure his position as the right-back for Peixe and faces competition from Igor Vinícius. The number 2 has also been struggling with inflammation in his right knee and has missed some matches for the Santos team.

Zé Rafael has played 21 games wearing the Santos jersey (18 as a starter) and has scored one goal. Mayke, on the other hand, has played only eight matches, seven as a starter.

Zé Rafael in action for Santos (Photo: Raul Baretta/ Santos FC)

Palmeiras' situation in the standings

With the victory over Juventude, Palmeiras reached 65 points and maintained the lead in the Brazilian Championship, one point ahead of Flamengo.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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