Palmeiras training: Paulinho takes new recovery step as “joker” | OneFootball

Forward Paulinho took to the pitch at the Football Academy and took part in technical activities with the Palmeiras first team this Monday. The forward is in the process of regaining his fitness after a long recovery period that has already lasted more than eight months.

The player underwent surgery in July 2025 to repair a stress fracture in the tibia of his right leg and has been undergoing treatment ever since. This Monday, he took another step in his physical reconditioning process and moved closer to returning to the field.

Palmeiras continued preparing to face Grêmio and still has three more days before the match, scheduled for this Thursday. Kickoff is at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at Arena Barueri, for the ninth round of the Brazilian Championship.

How did training go?

After a muscle activation session indoors at the training center, the Palmeiras players took to the field and carried out a technical drill in a reduced space, with specific emphasis on possession, building out from the back, marking, among other fundamentals.

Paulinho, alongside midfielder Figueiredo, who is also transitioning back to full fitness, took part in training as a kind of “joker.” In the next activity, as in recent days, both trained with the youth academy players on the adjacent field.

The rest of the squad, meanwhile, was split into three teams of eight players and completed another technical activity. In total, Monday’s session lasted an hour and a half.

Absences and returns

One confirmed absentee for coach Abel Ferreira is left back Piquerez. Palmeiras confirmed this Monday that the defender suffered ligament damage in his right ankle during a Uruguay friendly and will undergo surgery in the coming days.

The players called up for international duty, meanwhile, still have a chance of returning in time for the match. Verdão, it is worth remembering, is training without seven first-team players: Gustavo Gómez, Sosa and Maurício (Paraguay); Emi Martínez (Uruguay); Jhon Arias (Colombia); and Flaco López and Giay (Argentina).

Palmeiras’ next match

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