Santos keep Neymar call under wraps for Palmeiras tie on synthetic pitch | OneFootball

Santos are keeping plans for Neymar under wraps and will not reveal whether he will face Palmeiras on Wednesday at 21:30 at Nubank Parque in the Copa do Brasil quarter-final first leg.

According to Globo.com, the forward has a good chance of at least making the matchday squad given the importance of the tie.

Neymar has a kind of personal veto on synthetic pitches, which the Palmeiras stadium uses. Since returning to the club, he has played on such a surface only once, a 1-1 draw at Atlético-MG’s Arena MRV last year, when he twisted an ankle but continued.

He is enthusiastic about Santos pushing on in both the Copa do Brasil and the Sudamericana and has expressed a wish internally to help in every decisive game. The club also need him in the Brasileirão as they try to move away from the relegation fight, with a derby at Corinthians on Sunday at Neo Química Arena where he should start.

The coaching staff have been instructed by the board not to offer clues on their plans. On Monday he followed a regenerative schedule and did not appear in the images released by the club.

Last year he took part in a players’ protest against synthetic turf in Brazil, at the time describing the Allianz pitch as society, criticising Atlético-MG’s stadium, and saying Morumbi suited him and felt much better.

Source: Globo.com

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