São Paulo face 15-day break, just one match before Libertadores decider | OneFootball

São Paulo has had 15 days to rest and prepare for the resumption of the season amidst the September FIFA dates. While the Brazilian football calendar was paused for the national team's last commitments in the Qualifiers, coach Hernán Crespo will have the task of getting the squad "in peak condition" for the major challenges ahead.

The "mid-season" break for São Paulo in September will be a perfect fit, as the club deals with a series of absences and seeks to recover some of its most important players, especially for the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

On the other hand, the team will play only one official match before facing LDU at the altitude of Quito, Ecuador, for the first leg of the Libertadores quarter-finals. On September 14, Tricolor will host Botafogo at Morumbi for the Brasileirão. Then, on the 18th, they will play away for the first match of the series that determines a spot in the semi-finals of the continental tournament.

The great challenge for São Paulo will be not to lose match rhythm with these 15 days of pause. Therefore, there is a possibility that the squad will play a practice match against another team at the Barra Funda training center.

Against Botafogo on the 14th, São Paulo is not expected to spare its main players precisely because of the need to have everyone in the best physical and technical shape possible for the match against LDU in the Libertadores.

For the quarter-finals of the continental competition, São Paulo will have three reinforcements: defender Rafael Tolói, right-back Mailton, and forward Rigoni, who arrived in this transfer window to strengthen Tricolor in the quest for the coveted fourth Libertadores title.

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