To secure Morumbi, São Paulo ask for Santos derby in FIFA break | OneFootball

São Paulo has submitted a formal request to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) for the derby against Santos, valid for the Brazilian Championship, to be scheduled during the next FIFA international break.

The club internally expects the federation to grant the request, making it possible for the match to take place between September 21 and October 6.

If the calendar change is confirmed, Tricolor will secure home-field advantage for the derby at Morumbi, maintaining its run of decisive matches in front of its fans.

Beyond the derby factor, the club internally believes that the clash against the coastal side will be fundamental and directly linked to its ambitions of pulling clear once and for all from the relegation battle, hence the importance of playing at home.

There are other factors as well, it is true. São Paulo already knows it will have to face Corinthians, the other derby it is hosting in this second half of the Brasileirão, away from Morumbi. The match is scheduled for November 4, when the Tricolor stadium will be under “recovery” following the series of concerts by South Korean band BTS.

Precisely for that reason, the Morumbi club fears that the CBF will schedule the postponed match against Santos for the same dates set for the Copa do Brasil semifinals (October 31 and November 7), when its stadium would be unavailable because of the k-pop show.

The match against Santos was originally scheduled for July 29, but it was postponed because the rival had to play in the Copa Sudamericana playoff round.

Calendar adjustment and logistics at Morumbi

The move by São Paulo’s football department is aimed at optimizing the squad’s rest and preparation amid the marathon of fixtures in national and continental competitions:

FIFA international break window: The period between late September and early October will not feature a full slate of Brazilian football matches, creating room for postponed games to be made up or for strategic rescheduling.

Home advantage: Confirmation of the match at Morumbi is seen by the club’s board and coaching staff as an important asset, given the team’s strong record at home this season.

The CBF is expected to publish the official details with the final date, time, and venue of the match in the coming days.

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