Will synthetic pitch sideline Lucas for São Paulo v Palmeiras? | OneFootball

São Paulo secured its spot in the semifinals of the Paulistão, where they will face a classic match against Palmeiras, with the rival hosting. Even though they don't have their arena, which is in the final stages of its turf replacement, the opponent will rely on the controversial synthetic grass, as the match will take place at Arena Barueri.

Openly against the use of synthetic grass, midfielder Lucas Moura was usually rested on such occasions, especially due to his physical condition, which hasn't been ideal since March of last year, when he was injured precisely in the semifinal against Palmeiras at their home.

However, for the Choque-Rei clash, Lucas will be present. The number 7 has already informed the Tricolor, according to ESPN, that he will always be available for decisive matches, such as the upcoming state championship game next weekend.

The Paulista Football Federation (FPF) has yet to officially announce the dates and venues for the semifinals, but it is already known that the stadium in Barueri will host the classic. The venue benefits São Paulo, which sees the second Palmeiras home in good condition, with a new turf that has been receiving praise.

Thus, Lucas, who regained his spot in Hernán Crespo's starting lineup, is expected to start for the Tricolor against their green-and-white rival in pursuit of a spot in the state final.

The São Paulo idol began the season still quite out of rhythm, due to the inconsistent year of 2025, but gradually regained his best form.

He has already played 11 matches so far, with three goals scored and one assist, numbers almost equal to last season, when he scored five times, with one more assist, in just 26 games played.

The Tricolor secured its spot in the Paulistão semifinal after an away victory over Bragantino by 2-1 last Saturday (21), the same day Palmeiras secured their spot by thrashing Capivariano 4-0. Novorizontino and Corinthians will face each other in the other semi.

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