Paulinho trains and could be back for Palmeiras against Fortaleza | OneFootball

Paulinho trained on the pitch at Palmeiras’ Football Academy on Thursday morning after missing Wednesday’s big win over Vitória, and could return on Sunday against Fortaleza in the Copa do Brasil round of 16.

The player said in a post that he feels recovered from surgery on his right leg and stated he will play on Sunday.

He had suffered a mild ankle sprain in the 2-1 defeat to Atlético-MG and did not travel with the squad to Salvador. The issue raised concern given his injury history, though it is unrelated to the operation on his right leg.

Palmeiras view his progress as satisfactory, so he has a good chance of being included in the matchday squad.

Paulinho started for the first time since his comeback in the Atlético-MG match, which the club classed as high intensity. He has 179 minutes across nine appearances this season, scoring two goals.

On Thursday he worked on the grass with team-mates who played fewer than 45 minutes against Vitória, with no major restrictions, under the supervision of the Health and Performance unit. The remaining players did recovery and neuroscience work, and Palmeiras have two more sessions before facing Fortaleza.

Source: Globo.com