Vitor Roque bids to become Palmeiras derby decider after Veiga loan | OneFootball

Vitor Roque, Palmeiras’ number nine and joint top scorer this year with five goals alongside Flaco López, has hit form with three in his last two games and heads into Sunday’s Choque-Rei aiming to take on the decisive derby role vacated by Raphael Veiga.

Palmeiras host São Paulo at 20:30 on Sunday at Arena Crefisa Barueri in a single Paulista semi-final, and must win in normal time to avoid penalties. Globo.com notes that Roque’s surge has pushed him forward as a potential derby match-winner after Veiga’s loan to América do México.

Veiga has 18 goals in derbies for Palmeiras, and his departure opens room for new protagonists. Signed last year, Roque already has five in classics, two against São Paulo, two against Santos and one against Corinthians.

He made his Palmeiras debut in this fixture in March last year, winning the penalty that Veiga converted to reach the 2025 Paulista final. He then faced São Paulo twice in the league, scoring in both decisive wins, 1-0 and 3-2 from behind.

In 2026 he has faced São Paulo once, playing 13 minutes from the bench as he was not yet fit to stay on longer.

Roque said the lack of a pre-season contributed to knee and foot injuries early this year, costing him a run of games. He added he is improving, still feels occasional pain, and will keep working towards 100 percent.

As his minutes build, his output is rising in a campaign where he wants to surpass last year’s 20 goals and five assists in 56 games. He has five in 11 so far in 2026, with an eye on a cup to be staged in the United States from June to July.

Source: Globo.com