Quartet could return to Corinthians' starting line-up against Flamengo | OneFootball

Corinthians are expected to take the field with a heavily changed lineup against Flamengo this Sunday (13) at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã, in the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship. Among the possible new faces are Charles, Matheus Pereira, Jesse Lingard, and Gui Negão, who could return to the starting lineup for Timão after different stretches away from the first team.

The tendency for changes comes amid Fernando Diniz’s planning for the remainder of the season. The coach is expected to rest some of the most-used players with Wednesday’s (16) decisive clash against Estudiantes in mind, in the Libertadores quarterfinals.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Corinthians Agency

In the final training session before the trip to Rio de Janeiro, Central do Timão learned that Diniz worked with Hugo Souza; Pedro Milans, Iago Machado, Tchoca, and Angileri; Raniele, Charles, and Matheus Pereira; Dieguinho, Lingard, and Gui Negão. If that lineup is kept, the four players will return to starter status after different intervals.

Charles could start again after more than five months

Among the four, Charles has gone the longest without starting a match for Corinthians. The last time was on April 1, in a 3-1 loss to Fluminense at the Maracanã, in the ninth round of the Brazilian Championship. On that occasion, the midfielder stayed on the field for 45 minutes.

Since then, Charles has mainly been used as an option during matches. In 2026, the No. 8 has made 14 appearances for Corinthians. Over the course of his time at the club, he has 75 matches, 37 as a starter, two goals, and one assist.

His most recent appearance came last Wednesday (9), when he came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Estudiantes in Argentina in the Libertadores.

Matheus Pereira has not started since July

Matheus Pereira could also regain a spot among the starters. His last match in the starting lineup came on July 30, in the scoreless draw between Corinthians and Athletico-PR, in the 21st round of the Brasileirão. The midfielder played 77 minutes in that match.

In the current season, Matheus has made 30 appearances for Timão and scored one goal. Also considering his first spell at the club in 2015, he has 33 matches, 14 of them as a starter.

Like Charles, the player was used in last Wednesday’s match against Estudiantes and could be given a chance from the start at the Maracanã.

Lingard seeks first start in nearly a month

Jesse Lingard appears as another possible new face in Fernando Diniz’s team. The Englishman has not started a match since August 16, when Corinthians lost 2-1 to Cruzeiro in the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship. In that match, Lingard played the opening 45 minutes.

Signed in March, the attacking midfielder has 27 appearances for Corinthians, ten as a starter, in addition to two goals and one assist. His last appearance came on September 6, when he came on during the 2-1 loss to Chapecoense at Neo Química Arena. A possible start against Flamengo would mark the No. 77’s return to the main lineup after nearly a month.

Gui Negão could get another chance up front

Gui Negão’s situation is similar. The striker’s last start came on August 2, in Corinthians’ 2-0 loss to Internacional in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16. The youngster stayed on the field for 72 minutes on that occasion.

At 19 years old, Gui Negão has 41 first-team appearances, 22 as a starter, with six goals and two assists. His last outing was against Chapecoense on September 6, when he came on during the second half. If he starts against Flamengo, the forward will end a period of more than a month without appearing in the starting eleven.

Changes with an eye on the Libertadores

The possible use of the quartet is part of squad management for an important stretch. Three days after the match at the Maracanã, Corinthians host Estudiantes at Neo Química Arena at 9:30 p.m. in the second leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals.

The first match, played in Argentina, ended in a 1-1 draw. Therefore, a home win secures qualification to the semifinals for the black-and-white side. Another draw would send the decision to penalties.

Before that, however, Timão are trying to bounce back in the Brazilian Championship. The team heads into the clash against Flamengo with 32 points and a run of four straight defeats in the national competition.

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