Paulistão final: Novorizontino face Rômulo dilemma against Palmeiras | OneFootball

Novorizontino faces an obstacle for the 2026 Paulistão final. One of the standouts of the competition, midfielder Rômulo, is likely to miss the decisive matches against Palmeiras. Since he belongs to Verdão and is on loan to the team from the countryside, the contract requires the payment of a fee for him to be able to play against the club that owns his rights.

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Rômulo’s Numbers

Rômulo’s absence would be a huge blow for Tigre. The midfielder is the team’s offensive engine, with 5 goals (second top scorer of the tournament alongside Flaco López) and 3 assists. Without him, Novorizontino loses a major technical reference precisely at the most important moment in its recent history.

The numbers reinforce the midfielder’s importance to the team: Rômulo leads the championship in chances created (6) and maintains an impressive average of 2.6 key passes per game.

Dependence in Attack

The one who could be most affected by Rômulo’s absence is striker Robson. He is the tournament’s top scorer, with 7 goals, and depends directly on his teammate’s passes.

Palmeiras and Novorizontino will face each other in two matches to decide the 2026 Paulistão. The first leg will be hosted by Verdão at Arena Barueri. The return match will take place at Jorge Ismael de Biasi Stadium, in Novo Horizonte.

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